Afghanistan: Overseas Aid

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of the funding committed to Afghanistan for reconstruction and development has been given as budget support in each year since 2001.

Hilary Benn: DFID does not provide direct budget support to Afghanistan, but we do channel our support through Government systems using the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF). The ARTF is a multi-donor funding mechanism managed by the World Bank, which applies rigorous procedures to protect against fiduciary risks and strengthen public financial management. DFID has provided a significant proportion of our aid through the ARTF since it was set up:£15 million (20 per cent.) in 2002-03, £34 million (43 per cent.) in 2003-04, £47 million (5 per cent.) in 2004-05, £79 million (78 per cent.) in 2005-06, and £60 million (59 per cent.) in 2006-07. In total, 54 per cent. of our support since 2001 (£235 million of a total £438 million provided in aid) has been channelled through the ARTF to support the Government's plans for reconstruction and development.

Developing Countries: Health Professions

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he has taken steps to agree a code of practice for the international recruitment of health care professionals within the EU to stop member states recruiting medical staff from developing countries; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The European Commission has recommended an EU-wide code of conduct on health worker recruitment as one of a series of measures to address the health staffing crisis in many developing countries. Department of Health officials are taking this forward with other member states. The group is at the stage of negotiating principles, such as the rightof individuals to move and will then draft text for a code.
	There are varying views on the impact of the UK code on international recruitment. DFID and the Department of Health are to carry out an evaluation of the effectiveness of the code to strengthen the evidence base. This will be complete by June 2007.

Middle East

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of1 February 2007,  Official Report, columns 417-18W, on the Middle East, what the criteria are for identifying those who have suffered a severe loss in income; and which international body is responsible for establishing eligibility.

Hilary Benn: The Temporary International Mechanism pays allowances to Palestinian Authority (PA) civil employees, and those identified as hardship cases. The economic crisis has hit PA employees hardest, as the Government have not paid salaries since March 2006.
	Initially the TIM paid allowances only to health workers. In August 2006, the G8 summit at St. Petersburg requested that the TIM be expanded, so all civil PA workers who had earned less than $600 per month (2,500 New Israeli Shekels) were included. In December 2006 the Quartet (US, Russia, UN and EU) requested a further expansion to remove the income ceiling entirely, so the TIM has been extended to all civil employees of the PA (excluding security forces and the civil police). The last payment in February 2007 paid all 77,000 civil PA employees. Only PA employees which are both on the PA payroll before the Hamas Government came to power, and which remain on the payroll as of December 2006, are entitled to allowances.
	Under the previous Palestinian Authority Government, the Ministry of Social Affairs made payments to 36,079 families. These beneficiaries now receive payments through the TIM. A further 36,600 beneficiaries have been added from lists compiled by the World Food Programme. The TIM Management Unit is evaluating a further 4,000 individuals to assess their eligibility for TIM benefits.
	The scope of TIM payments is approved by the EU, following consultation between the European Commission's TIM Management Unit and the Office of President Abbas.

Middle East

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of1 February 2007,  Official Report, columns 417-18W, on the Middle East, how many direct recipients of aid from the Temporary International Mechanism there are among those who have suffered a severe loss in income.

Hilary Benn: The direct payment of allowances is one of three parts of the Temporary International Mechanism. Up to the end of February, a total of €131.6 million had been paid to 149,679 beneficiaries. The EC is investigating the eligibility of a further 4,000 beneficiaries. With an estimated household size of six, over 900,000 persons will have benefit directly from the TIM.

Middle East

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of1 February 2007,  Official Report, columns 417-18W, on the Middle East, if he will describe the rigorous auditing procedures used for the Temporary International Mechanism in delivering aid to the Palestinian people.

Hilary Benn: Audit procedures for the Temporary International Mechanism (TIM) have been set up to ensure no funding can be captured by a listed terrorist or terrorist organisation. Funding is provided in coordination with the Office of the President and no financial support is provided to the Hamas led Palestinian Authority.
	TIM payments for non-salary expenses are made by the World Bank. The procurement of these goods and services is managed by the Office of the President. Each stage in the tendering and bid evaluation process is checked by the World Bank and payment is made from the Office of the President only after the World Bank has approved the expense.
	Payments for fuel are made directly by the EC to the Israeli fuel company Dor. EC appointed auditors monitor the delivery of fuel in Gaza, and check all documentation, they provide a report to the EC management unit for payment.
	Payments for allowances are managed by the EC through the TIM Management Unit. Lists of individual beneficiaries are compiled from cross checking payroll data from the previous Government, and lists of current employees. Individual recipients are verified by the HSBC using the World Check Database, which runs the names of individuals receiving payment through five different international anti terrorist list checks. Detailed tracking mechanisms have been set up by HSBC which allow each and every payment made to be tracked to the individual. Funding is only provided directly into individual bank accounts or in cash on production of identification cards by individuals. Where there are problems with transferring funds to bank accounts, the funds are returned to the EC. The EC places monitors in the bank branches which are responsible cash hand outs.

Palestinians: Overseas Aid

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of1 February 2007,  Official Report, column 417-18W, on Middle East, what assessment he has made of the impact of bank handling charges on the overall level of aid disbursed through the Temporary International Mechanism to deliver aid to the Palestinian people.

Hilary Benn: All payments of allowances to Palestinian beneficiaries, made through the Temporary International Mechanism (TIM), are subject to five different counter-terrorism checks. These checks were a key requirement for the TIM to be approved by the Quartet (EU, US, Russia and the UN) and provide a safeguard that tax payers' money is not going to members of terrorist organisations.
	The total cost of bank charges is less than 3.5 per cent. of the overall total the TIM has paid out to Palestinians. Up to the end of February 2007, the total bank charge was €4.57 million, out of a total allowance payment of €131.6 million. While these bank charges are significant, they are an essential cost for providing aid in this way.
	We understand that the TIM is less optimal than budget support; however it is the best alternative in the current political context. We are unable to provide aid directly to the Palestinian Authority Government until they comply with the Quartet Principles to give up violence, recognise Israel and commit to previous agreements, including the road map for peace.

Somalia: Overseas Aid

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support his Department is providing to Somalia; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: DFID's assistance to Somalia has increased from less than £2 million in 2002-03 to almost £18.75 million in 2005-06. Our assistance is aimed at achieving a peaceful and economically viable Somalia, and is based on three objectives:
	(i) to help achieve a just and viable political settlement in Somalia;
	(ii) to work with others to establish the basis for effective development assistance,
	with an initial focus on improving governance and service delivery; and
	(iii) to ensure timely provision of humanitarian relief.
	A key part of DFID's support is channelled through the UNDP to provide direct support to the transitional federal institutions (TFIs). The UK, along with other donors (mainly the European Commission, Norway and Sweden), are providing both technical and financial assistance to help the TFIs to become established and build their capacity. Support to date has involved direct financial support to the costs of the TFIs through a UNDP project (e.g. refurbishment and equipping of TFI buildings, stipends for MPs, police and judiciary, and costs of TFI members' travel within Somalia). These donors are also providing capacity building support to the TFIs through an emergency technical assistance project, plus support for a constitution development project.
	DFID, alongside a broad group of other donors, is also providing support to the security and judiciary sector across Somalia though UNDP's rule of law and security programme. This support has helped establish three police training centres (one in Somaliland, one in Puntland and one in baidoa), as well as helping to produce a somali police Development Plan as a basis for re-establishing policing in south/central Somalia. Security sector review work is also being taken forward as a priority with Somaliland and Puntland. This programme has also financed the reconstruction of the prison in Hargeisa, so that it now meets international standards.
	The largest part of DFID's funding for Somalia to date has been in the form of humanitarian assistance, which has been provided in response to natural disasters which have afflicted Somalia in recent years. These funds have been channelled through UN agencies and NGOs. We continue to carefully monitor the humanitarian situation in Somalia and have been one of the leaders in the international response to these crises.
	In addition to our humanitarian response, we continue to support the education and health sectors via UN agencies and NGOs, and agreed last year a£6 million education partnership with UNICEF and UNESCO.
	Much of DFID's funds are directed to Somaliland and Puntland in the north, as they are currently more stable. Somaliland receives 30 to 40 per cent. of UK assistance to Somalia. This includes support to the 2005 Somaliland parliamentary elections and the upcoming presidential election.

Departments: Assets

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 26 January 2007,  Official Report, column 2057W, on departmental fixed assets, what the methodology was for valuing the three properties in Windsor; and what the floor area of each used building is.

David Lammy: The methodology used by the Department for valuing the three properties in Windsor was that professional property consultants were instructed to carry out surveys before arriving at the appropriate market valuations.
	Floor areas for each building are as follows:
	
		
			  Sq ft 
			   Including tenants' alterations  Excluding tenants' alterations 
			 30 Park Street 1,407 1,203 
			 31 Park Street 1,407 1,203 
			 32 Park Street 1,488 1,203

Armed Forces: Housing

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much Annington Homes paid for housing and land purchased from his Department; and how much the company paid for that purchased in Colchester.

Derek Twigg: The 1996 sale agreement between the Secretary of State for Defence and Annington Homes Limited involved the transfer of 57,428 properties in England and Wales for a consideration of £1.66 billion. Of this amount, £34.5 million was for properties at Colchester.

Armed Forces: Housing

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures are in place to audit the implementation of the profit-sharing scheme with Annington Homes in relation to former Ministry of Defence housing and land; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The Ministry of Defence has appointed Scott-Moncrieff, chartered accountants, as reporting accountants to assist with verification of year-end disposal statements and agree profit share due under the profit sharing agreement with Annington Homes Limited (AHL). Prior to 2003, Ernst and Young, chartered accountants, were the Department's reporting accountants. Disposal statements are prepared by AHL, and reviewed by its independent auditors, Deloitte and Touche LLP.

Armed Forces: Housing

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of the proceeds of subsequent sales by Annington Homes of former Ministry of Defence housing is returned to HM Treasury under profit-sharing arrangements.

Derek Twigg: Under the terms of the 1996 profit share agreement with Annington Homes Limited,25 per cent. of sale proceeds is currently returned to Her Majesty's Treasury.
	The November 1996 sale agreement with Annington Homes Ltd includes a profit share agreement, 25 per cent. of sale proceeds are currently returned to HM Treasury.

Centre for Energy Policy Studies

David Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether Government funding has been provided to the Centre for Energy Policy Studies.

Malcolm Wicks: No Government funding hasbeen provided to the Centre for Energy Studiesbased at the Judge Institute at the University of Cambridge.

Departments: Civil Servants

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the total sum of bonuses paid to civil servants in his Department was in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department of Trade and Industry awards non-consolidated bonuses in two formats:
	1. Special bonuses for exceptional performance in particularly demanding tasks or situations. Staff in receipt of special bonus may also receive an annual performance award.
	2. Annual performance awards paid to highly successful performers as part of the annual pay award.
	Based on the information available, the total sum of bonuses paid in 2005 and 2006 is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  £ 
			  Financial year( 1)  Special bonuses  Performance awards  Total value 
			 2005-06 572,902 1,808,630 2,381,532 
			 2006-07(2) 333,827 2,261,641 2,595,468 
			 (1) Financial years run from 1 April to 31 March. (2) Figures for 2006-07 for special bonuses and performance awards can only be made available up to 31 January 2007.

Departments: Freedom of Information

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of monitoring the time spent processing requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 for the purposes of the proposed fees regulations.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Constitutional Affairs on 22 February 2007,  Official Report, column 866W as follows.
	"In Spring 2006 the department conducted an exercise across central government departments to assess the time taken to process Freedom of Information requests received in a monitored period.
	No data was collected to estimate the cost of conducting this exercise."

Imports: Developing Countries

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the value was of  (a) imports and  (b) exports of (i) goods and (ii) services between the EU15 and (A) least developed countries (LDCs) as currently defined, (B) non-LDC African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries, (C)(1) low income non-LDC countries, (2) lower mid-income non-LDC countries, (3) upper mid-income non-LDC countries and (4) high income countries as defined by the OECD Development Assistance Committee and (D) the world as a whole in each year since 1980.

Ian McCartney: Figures for imports and exports of goods are shown in the following two tables.
	
		
			  Imports of goods to the European Union 15 
			  Billion US$  A  B  C1  C2  C3  C4  D 
			 1980 7.1 29.1 22.4 55.6 65.9 0.1 399.3 
			 1981 6.0 22.2 15.6 43.9 72.8 0.2 358.7 
			 1982 5.2 21.1 15.9 47.1 53.3 0.1 331.6 
			 1983 5.2 19.6 15.1 44.1 38.0 0.1 307.4 
			 1984 6.0 22.1 17.2 44.7 33.7 0.1 311.9 
			 1985 6.0 24.4 18.3 46.5 32.3 0.1 315.8 
			 1986 6.2 19.6 14.9 41.9 30.0 0.1 329.6 
			 1987 6.7 18.7 15.3 50.0 31.6 0.2 390.6 
			 1988 7.4 20.7 16.5 53.4 35.8 0.2 436.9 
			 1989 7.7 22.3 18.2 63.6 38.9 0.2 481.1 
			 1990 8.5 26.8 23.4 76.2 46.8 0.2 568.7 
			 1991 7.9 26.2 24.7 80.8 50.5 0.2 588.6 
			 1992 8.2 25.9 26.4 90.6 52.2 0.2 604.5 
			 1993 6.7 21.5 26.3 83.7 46.9 0.2 564.1 
			 1994 7.6 23.9 31.1 92.3 51.3 0.1 620.8 
			 1995 9.2 24.1 35.1 105.0 57.7 0.2 728.2 
			 1996 9.4 29.7 40.0 116.0 59.5 0.2 759.5 
			 1997 9.4 28.9 39.5 126.2 61.1 0.3 793.0 
			 1998 9.7 27.0 38.3 129.7 58.4 0.3 827.7 
			 1999 9.4 26.9 37.6 138.5 57.9 0.3 855.9 
			 2000 11.3 30.7 42.3 170.3 70.3 0.4 965.8 
			 2001 12.5 32.5 42.6 172.1 68.3 0.4 949.0 
			 2002 12.8 31.8 42.8 177.4 67.8 0.4 956.4 
			 2003 13.8 37.4 52.6 236.1 83.3 0.3 1156.0 
			 2004 17.3 43.3 60.5 313.1 105.1 0.3 1413.5 
			 2005 21.0 51.7 70.0 377.3 124.0 0.5 1601.4 
			  Source:  United Nations Comtrade database 
		
	
	
		
			  Exports of goods from the European Union 15 
			  Billion US$  A  B  C1  C2  C3  C4  D 
			 1980 8.4 23.5 19.0 51.2 32.2 0.4 303.0 
			 1981 7.7 24.4 20.1 55.0 33.4 0.4 298.3 
			 1982 7.3 20.0 18.5 50.8 31.1 0.6 279.8 
			 1983 6.2 15.5 14.1 47.0 27.5 0.7 270.6 
			 1984 6.1 15.2 12.9 45.7 25.5 0.6 279.8 
			 1985 6.4 13.8 13.7 45.6 22.7 0.6 292.5 
			 1986 6.8 14.7 15.5 45.9 24.7 0.5 335.7 
			 1987 7.7 15.6 17.1 48.3 26.3 0.5 384.9 
			 1988 8.3 17.3 17.9 52.4 26.8 0.5 410.3 
			 1989 8.5 17.1 18.5 55.3 27.4 0.6 434.6 
			 1990 9.8 18.9 20.7 68.4 31.7 0.6 504.2 
			 1991 8.5 18.8 19.9 68.4 37.6 0.8 502.9 
			 1992 10.1 19.9 24.0 79.4 46.5 0.9 536.8 
			 1993 8.8 18.9 23.7 82.3 48.7 0.7 549.4 
			 1994 8.2 19.5 24.5 85.8 57.5 0.7 622.0 
			 1995 10.6 24.3 32.0 104.5 66.0 0.7 755.6 
			 1996 9.9 25.4 35.3 110.3 68.6 0.7 795.1 
			 1997 10.0 24.9 34.2 115.6 78.8 0.7 822.0 
			 1998 11.3 26.2 27.4 113.9 76.0 0.8 830.2 
			 1999 9.3 23.9 25.3 105.5 67.4 1.1 807.9 
			 2000 10.2 25.1 27.6 118.6 69.6 0.8 852.8 
			 2001 10.5 26.0 27.7 117.6 72.4 0.8 872.8 
			 2002 10.6 27.7 31.0 130.3 70.4 0.9 937.2 
			 2003 13.0 32.7 37.2 169.2 79.5 1.0 1108.8 
			 2004 14.1 38.8 46.7 216.1 92.6 1.4 1328.8 
			 2005 17.3 44.0 54.3 236.0 103.8 1.4 1444.7 
			  Notes to table: A: Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Central African, Chad, Comoros, Congo (Dem Rep), Djibouti, East Timor, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Kiribati, Laos, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Niger, Republic, Rwanda, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Yemen, Zambia  B: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Cameroon, Congo (Rep), Cook Islands, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Micronesia (Fed States), Fiji, Gabon, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Kenya, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Namibia, Nauru, Nigeria, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, South Africa, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Suriname, Swaziland, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Zimbabwe  C1: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cameroon, Congo (Rep of), Georgia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Kyrgyz Rep, Moldova, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam, Zimbabwe  C2: Albania, Algeria, Belize, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, China, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Fiji, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Macedonia (FYR), Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Fed States), Morocco, Namibia, Niue, Palestinian areas, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Serbia and Montenegro, South Africa, Sri Lanka,St. Vincent and Grenadines, Suriname, Swaziland, Syria, Thailand, Tokelau, Tonga, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Wallis and Futuna  C3: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Barbados, Botswana, Brazil, Chile, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Dominica, Gabon, Grenada, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mexico, Montserrat, Nauru, Oman, Palau, Panama, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, St. Helena, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos, Uruguay, Venezuela  C4: Bahrain D: World excluding European Union 15  Note:  There may be discontinuities due to changes to boundaries and reporters over time.  Source:  United Nations Comtrade database 
		
	
	A detailed complete country breakdown of trade in services is not available. Figures for EU15 trade in services with the rest of the world are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Billion ECU (1992-98) Billion euro (1999-2005)  EU 15 debits (Imports of services)  EU15 credits (Exports of services) 
			 1992 145.4 159.2 
			 1993 153.7 166.6 
			 1994 162.4 174.3 
			 1995 164.2 176.3 
			 1996 186.8 200.3 
			 1997 218.1 235.8 
			 1998 229.2 241.1 
			 1999 258.9 264.7 
			 2000 304.4 309.6 
			 2001 319.5 326.8 
			 2002 313.0 336.9 
			 2003 312.7 343.0 
			 2004 338.3 377.6 
			 2005 365.7 413.4 
			  Source:  Eurostat

Trade: Madagascar

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent assessment he has made of UK-Madagascan trade; and what steps he has taken to increase trade between the two countries.

Ian McCartney: Trade between the UK and Madagascar is small. UK exports to Madagascar in 2005 were£6.58 million and UK imports from Madagascar were £15.47 million. We do not have any specific measures in place to increase trade between the two countries but UK Trade and Investment in London offers general advice and information to UK companies wishing to trade with Madagascar. Commercial interests in Madagascar are also represented through our high commission in Port Louis, Mauritius.

Written Questions

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects to reply to question 121265, tabled by the hon. Member for Sunderland South on 8 February.

Ian McCartney: I refer my hon. Friend to theanswer given on 19 February 2007,  Official Report, column 551W.

Avian Influenza

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much meat from  (a) geese and  (b) turkeys was imported into the UK from (i) Hungary, (ii) Europe and (iii) the rest of the world in each of the last six months.

Ben Bradshaw: The following table gives the value and volume of turkey and duck, geese or guinea fowl meat products imported to the UK in each month, from July to December 2006, from Hungary, Europe (all of which are from the EU) and the rest of the world. It is not possible to entirely separate imports of geese meat products from the combined category duck, geese or guinea fowl. December 2006 figures are currently the latest which are available.
	
		
			   2006 
			   July  August  September  October  November  December 
			  Country/region and type  £000  Tonnes  £000  Tonnes  £000  Tonnes  £000  Tonnes  £000  Tonnes  £000  Tonnes 
			  Hungary 
			 Turkey 3,295 1,694 1,658 792 3,153 1,393 3,371 1,478 4,022 1,622 3,633 1,604 
			 Duck, Geese or Guinea Fowl 61 36 78 39 203 102 334 216 387 185 196 97 
			  European Union (including Hungary) 
			 Turkey 8,776 3,931 7,008 2,556 8,216 3,729 12,098 5,240 14,447 5,886 17,398 6,931 
			 Duck, Geese or Guinea Fowl 3,723 1,719 3,554 1,482 3,363 1,492 4,703 2,125 5,314 2,193 4,088 1,663 
			  
			  Rest of the world 
			 Turkey 105 69 248 165 220 147 295 182 98 55 118 65 
			  Notes: 1. Some additional turkey and geese meat products may be imported which are not separately identifiable from other poultry. 2. 2006 data are subject to amendments  Source:  HM Revenue and Customs Data prepared by Trade statistics, Agricultural Statistics and Analysis Division, DEFRA

Avian Influenza

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the remit and role is of scientists in his Department in providing advice on avian influenza; and if he will place in the Library copies of the advice provided by those scientists since 19 January 2007.

Ben Bradshaw: As the Secretary of State said in his statement to the House on 19 February 2007,  Official Report, column 29, our avian influenza policy is guided by scientific evidence. Scientific evidence is important because it provides the evidence base of our decision making process. The DEFRA Chief Scientific Advisor and, through him, Ministers are guided by expert and, as appropriate, additional independent advice.
	A key source of expert advice on avian influenza is the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA), which is an executive Agency of DEFRA. The VLA is the OIE World and European Union reference laboratory for avian influenza. The Agency's disease consultancy is ISO9001 certified and all diagnostic tests for avian influenza are either certified by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) or have been robustly validated and have been submitted for UKAS certification.
	Scientists at the VLA together with DEFRA scientists, representatives of the Science Advisory Council and scientists in the Devolved Administrations provide regular advice through the Exotic Diseases of Poultry Experts Group.
	DEFRA scientists also monitor outbreaks of high pathogenic avian influenza worldwide since the first reported outbreaks in south-east Asia at the end of 2004, and assess the risk of virus introduction to the UK.
	Although it would not be practical to place all scientific advice in the House Library, an interim report into the source of the recent outbreak in Surrey was published on 19 February and is available from the Library. The final report will also be made available when it is published.

Avian Influenza

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what monitoring is being undertaken of wild birds for the H5N1 avian influenza virus.

Ben Bradshaw: Targeted surveillance for all types of avian influenza viruses in wild birds is in place throughout the UK and is ongoing. The targeted surveillance focuses on species of wild birds that experts believe to have a greater potential role in the spread of avian influenza viruses. There is a comprehensive list which generally includes ducks, geese, swans, gulls and waders. Sampling is targeted to high priority surveillance areas, which have been chosen on the basis of abundance of migratory waterbird species and domestic poultry. Membersof the public can report dead swans, ducks, geese, waders and gulls by calling the Defra Helpline on 08459 33 55 77.
	There are also over 300 selected reserves across the UK that are actively patrolled by partner organisations on a voluntary basis for dead wild birds, which are then tested. Since the beginning of February over 300 wild bird reserve patrols had been carried out.
	Within the area around the infected premises in Suffolk and Norfolk, there have been enhanced levels of surveillance of wild birds. We are aware of 30 key waterbird locations in Suffolk (such as estuaries and marshes). 12 of these locations are within 20 kilometres of the infected premises, of which 10 are patrolled regularly as part of the programme. Six of those sites have been patrolled over 100 times since the patrol programme began in early November 2006.
	After consultation with expert ornithological groups we decided that at the infected premises it would be more practical to take faecal samples from the environment than catch and test live wild birds. These samples were negative.

Carbon Dioxide: Pollution Control

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the UK target of cutting carbon dioxide emissions by 60 per cent. by 2050 was first adopted; and what the result was of each review of the target since that date.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 23 February 2007
	In its 2000 report, "Energy-The Changing Climate", the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (RCEP) recommended that:
	"The Government should now adopt a strategy which puts the UK on a path to reducing carbon dioxide emissions by some 60 per cent. from current levels by about 2050".
	In the 2003 Energy White Paper, we said that our ambition is for the world's developed economies to cut emissions of greenhouse gases by 60 per cent. by around 2050 and we therefore accepted the RCEP's recommendation.
	The target will be kept under review to takeaccount of emerging scientific evidence and other developments.

Common Agricultural Policy

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the effects of the common agricultural policy on  (a) food prices and  (b) annual household food bills since its inception; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: The common agricultural policy (CAP), through a series of policies that offer farmers prices above the world market level for their products, pushes food prices up. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development estimates that the CAP cost European Union (EU) consumers about€42 billion in 2005 through higher food prices (about €360 for a family of four). Furthermore, this burden is borne disproportionately by the poorest in society and the poorest EU member states, who spend twice the proportion of their income on food. This is on top of the budgetary costs (another €50 billion a year and at a cost of a further €440 for a family of four).

Departments: Orders and Regulations

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many regulations his Department revoked in each year since 2001.

Barry Gardiner: The Department has made over 750 general and local statutory instruments since 2001. However, the Department does not have a central database of revoked regulations and collation of the data requested would involve disproportionate cost.
	The Department views the revocation, modernisation and rationalisation of its regulations as an essential part of its approach to regulating better. For example, the Veterinary Medicines Regulations, which govern the statutory controls on veterinary medicines, provided much needed clarity and improved comprehension by replacing part of the MedicinesAct 1968 and 49 separate statutory instruments.
	The Veterinary Medicines Regulations are one of a number of simplification measures the Department is taking forward. The Department's 2006 simplification plan, 'Maximising Outcomes, Minimising Burdens', identifies a reduction in the administrative burden Defra imposes on business of £159 million, more than 30 per cent. of the Department's total administrative burden. Copies of the simplification plan are available from the Library of the House.

Environment Protection: EC Law

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has made within the European Union on including measures to protect UK  (a) priority species and  (b) sites of special scientific interest in the Environmental Liability Directive; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: It is for individual member states to implement the directive as required, and to decide independently whether, or to what extent, they wishto exercise the discretion in article 2.3(c) to extend the scope of the directive to nationally-protected biodiversity.
	A public consultation on the options for implementing the directive in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is ongoing. The consultation sets out the Government's policy preference in this respect, and for other discretionary areas which the directive allows.

Environmental Stewardship Scheme

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Higher Level Stewardship Scheme in  (a) mitigating climate change and  (b) conserving species; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: The Higher Level Stewardship Scheme has only been in operation for about a year. Many of the outcomes it is seeking to deliver involve long term changes in land management practice, which is why agreements are drawn up to cover a period of10 years. We are nevertheless planning an early review of progress, which will look at the effectiveness of measures already in place and seek information about how best to target new agreements. This will include doing more in respect of climate change mitigation and species conservation, taking account of evaluations and studies on these issues which we have already commissioned and which are due to report in the spring.

Inland Waterways: Freight

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his estimate is of the amount of cargo carried by means of the inland waterways in each of the last 10 years; if he will estimate the difference in carbon emissions resulting from such carriage as compared to carriage by road; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: The following table shows the internal freight traffic carried by vessels on all UK inland waterways between 1995 and 2005.
	
		
			  Internal freight traffic on UK inland waterways, 1995-2005 
			   Goods lifted (million tonnes)  Goods moved (million tonne-kilometres) 
			 1995 6.6 200 
			 1996 5.7 180 
			 1997 4.8 150 
			 1998 4.3 150 
			 1999 4.3 160 
			 2000 4.3 210 
			 2001 4.3 190 
			 2002 4.0 180 
			 2003 3.2 180 
			 2004 2.6 150 
			 2005 3.4 170 
		
	
	The 1994 report of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution noted that moving freight by water uses significantly less fossil fuel than other modes of transport and consequently results in lower emissions of carbon dioxide.
	However, because of the variety of types and ages of vessels on UK inland waterways, it is not possible to obtain a precise figure for emissions from all these vessels. Defra makes annual estimate(1) of carbon dioxide emissions from all domestic shipping in the UK, but does not make specific estimates of emissions from vessels on inland waterways.
	The Government wish to encourage the transfer of freight from the roads to waterborne transport where this is practical, economic and environmentally desirable.
	(1 )Available in the UK Greenhouse Gas Inventory under IPCC source category 1.A.3.d, "Navigation".

Tsunami

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will introduce a tsunami watch around the edge of British estuaries associated with a history of tsunamis.

Ian Pearson: The probability of a serious tsunami impact on the UK is very low. The most plausible extreme projections suggest such waves would be very unlikely to overwhelm defences for major centresof development, which are designed to resist storm surges.
	A flood warning system is in place in areas most at risk, and emergency plans are regularly tested (most recently through the Environment Agency's Exercise Triton). The Met Office also has well-developed systems to warn local authorities and other key organisations of severe weather events.
	We have already commissioned research into appropriate enhancements to existing forecasting and warning systems to improve their ability to cope with a wider range of extreme events, including tsunami-type conditions. Because such events are very rare, it is important that the systems we develop can deal with to a wide range of other extreme scenarios, if they are to be kept fully operational and regularly tested.

Waste Disposal

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the cost per tonne of each of the waste disposal recovery and recycling methods available to local authorities.

Ben Bradshaw: Waste disposal recovery and recycling costs, per tonne, were estimated as part of the analysis underpinning the partial Regulatory Impact Assessment for the Review of Waste Strategy Review 2000. The following table shows the assumed capital and gate fee costs (2003-04 base)(1).
	(1) Gates fees are based on discounted capital costs, operating costs and revenues net of residue landfill costs landfill tax. Capital costs are discounted over typical operating lives for each type of plant, and differ according to typology to reflect land costs.
	
		
			 Gate fees £/t (year) 
			   Plant scale kt/y  Capital cost  (£ million)  2003-04  2009-10 
			 CA Sites — 4.40 22.50 25.20 
			  
			 Materials reclamation facilities (MRF) 10 1.70 52.30 68.60 
			  40 4.60 31.60 41.40 
			  100 10.30 24.50 32.20 
			  
			 Dirty MRF 70 3.00 38.20 42.80 
			  150 6.00 34.20 38.40 
			  250 9.00 31.60 35.30 
			  
			 Green waste composting 10 1.40 43.80 41.40 
			  30 3.00 33.80 31.90 
			  50 4.50 20.70 29.40 
			  
			 Biowaste composting/digestion 20 6.00 68.70 76.90 
			  50 6.80 53.60 60.00 
			  150 24.00 48.00 53.80 
			  
			 Mechanical treatment/residue to EfW 50 29.90 73.30 113.80 
			  100 52.60 60.20 88.20 
			  200 86.80 49.40 67.50 
			  
			 MBT compost/RDF 50 53.00 106.60 181.50 
			  100 62.50 67.10 105.20 
			  200 79.50 52.20 66.20 
			  
			 MBT compost and residue landfill 50 13.50 66.80 74.80 
			  100 23.20 55.60 62.30 
			  200 35.20 46.60 52.20 
			  
			 EfW incineration 100 54.60 52.50 86.40 
			  200 88.20 45.70 64.90 
			  400 125.70 35.80 43.50 
			  
			 ACT Gasification/pyrolysis 30 21.10 127.90 127.90 
			  100 38.90 81.50 81.50 
			  150 54.60 70.00 70.00 
		
	
	These are average costs used to estimate costs at the national level. Exact costs will vary from authority to authority depending on various factors including housing density and availability of different types of plant.
	Updated figures will be available in the full Regulatory Impact Assessment to be published in the spring.

Waste Management: Private Finance Initiative

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of municipal waste private finance initiatives in  (a) the last year and  (b) since 2000 have been awarded to projects (i) solely based on recycling, (ii) solely based on energy via waste and (iii) based on a mix of recycling and energy recovery.

Ben Bradshaw: It is rare for a waste private finance initiative (PFI) project to have just one technological solution or one waste processing facility. Essentially, PFI credits are awarded to authorities to deliver increased diversion of biodegradable municipal waste from landfill. Once they have analysed sufficiently the technical, environmental and economic options, an authority can choose to deliver this diversion by adopting a range of waste management technological solutions.
	All waste PFI projects have a recycling element included. However, none of the projects have been funded solely on the basis of undertaking recycling. A project eligible for PFI credits needs to demonstrate how it will complement longer term national targets for recycling.
	Some of the waste PFI projects specifically exclude energy from waste (EfW) as a waste processing option.
	The following table provides data on the waste PFI credits awarded to projects in the last year and since 2000.
	
		
			  Project scope  In the last year  PFI credits  (£ million)  Since 2000  PFI credits  (£ million) 
			 Solely on recycling None — None — 
			  
			 Solely on energy from waste None — None — 
			  
			 Mixture of recycling and energy from waste(2) Cheshire(1) 40.00 Greater Manchester(1) 100.00 
			  — — Shropshire(1) 35.80 
			  — — Cornwall(1) 45.00 
			  — — Central Berkshire(1,3) 37.00 
			  — — East Sussex, Brighton and Hove(1) 49.00 
			  — — Northumberland(1) 40.80 
			  — — Nottinghamshire(1) 38.31 
			  — — Surrey(1) 85.50 
			 (1)These projects are scoped in such a way as to treat a proportion (waste stream) of the total waste arisings in an EfW facility. The remaining proportion(s) are treated in other waste management facilities using different types of waste processing technology. For instance, the Cheshire project will treat a proportion of its total waste in an EfW facility, and a proportion in a mechanical biological treatment facility. (2) Data are provided for projects based on a mix of recycling and energy from waste (3) Central Berkshire comprises the councils Reading, Bracknell Forest and Wokingham.

Waste Management: Private Finance Initiative

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average contract length is for a private finance initiative funded energy from waste plant; and whether a minimum tonnage of waste is usually guaranteed across this period.

Ben Bradshaw: The average contract length of a private finance initiative (PFI) project, which has an energy from waste facility as one of several waste management technology solutions, is approximately25 years. PFI credits are awarded to authorities primarily to deliver increased diversion of biodegradable municipal waste from landfill. Most PFI projects use a combination of waste processing technologies rather than a single technology. Typically, energy from waste, as a waste processing option, is used in combination with other waste processing technologies.
	A minimum tonnage of waste throughput is usually guaranteed throughout the contract period as funders, typically banks, would otherwise expose themselves to unconstrained waste volume risk over the term of the contract. Very recently, we have become aware that certain waste management companies with access to waste arising have been prepared to underwrite a block of plant capacity, thereby opening up the possibility of shorter contracts for smaller volumes.

Whales

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government plan to take  (a) to reduce and  (b) to bring to an end (i) commercial and (ii) scientific whaling.

Ben Bradshaw: The UK will continue to protest at the highest diplomatic level against Norway and Iceland's commercial whaling activities which, though legal, are not in keeping with the spirit of the International Whaling Commission (IWC). We will continue our efforts, along with other countries, to urge these countries to reconsider their position and end this unjustified and unnecessary practice. Indeed, in November 2006, the UK led a diplomatic demarche of 25 countries together with the European Commission in condemning the Icelandic Government's decision to resume commercial whaling.
	The UK Government have regularly criticised Japanese and Icelandic scientific whaling programmes as being of little scientific value and urged both countries to terminate them forthwith. In December last year, the British ambassador to Japan took part in a 27-country demarche to both the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Japanese Fisheries Agency to protest against Japan's programme of lethal special permit ("scientific") whaling in the Southern Ocean.
	In order to help recruit more conservation-minded countries to the IWC, we have produced a new publication, "Protecting Whales—A Global Responsibility", endorsed by the Prime Minister and by Sir David Attenborough, which has been sent to 57 countries, both anti and pro-whaling, encouraging them to join the effort to protect all cetacean species.
	Defra officials ensure that Foreign and Commonwealth Office posts in the relevant capitals are briefed, and engage in discussion with their counterparts on whaling at every appropriate opportunity. This ensures that countries are in no doubt of the importance that the UK attaches to whale conservation. This is particularly important as we approach the next IWC meeting to be held in Anchorage, Alaska in May.

Syrian Arab Republic: Kamal al-Labwani

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received of the conditions of detention of Dr. Kamal al-Labwani by the Syrian government.

Kim Howells: Dr. Kamal al-Labwani has been detained at the Adra criminal prison for more than a year. He was arrested in October 2005 on his return from a visit to the United States. He is being tried under article 264 of the Syrian penal code, accused of inciting a foreign power to commit an aggressive act against Syria. He is also accused of spreading lies and false information against the state.
	We have been unable to verify what conditionsDr. al-Labwani is being held under, but conditions in the prison are likely to be difficult. Officials from our embassy in Damascus continue to monitor Dr. al-Labwani's situation and attend court cases involving Dr. al-Labwani with their EU colleagues and other diplomatic missions.

Turkmenistan

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the recent election in Turkmenistan.

Geoff Hoon: While there were shortcomings, the presidential election was a step forward in comparison with previous elections in Turkmenistan and we welcome the government's request for international support to reform the electoral system for the future. The UN visited Turkmenistan during the presidential election period and discussed possible electoral reform with the Turkmen authorities. The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights team sent a technical assistance team for the election and also discussed future electoral reform with the government.

Whales

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what discussions she has had with  (a) (i) Ministers and (ii) officials in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and  (b) Cabinet colleagues about whaling in the last12 months; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what discussions she has had with representatives from other governments on whaling since the last meeting of the International Whaling Commission; and when she next plans to discuss whaling with her foreign counterparts;
	(3)  when she next plans to discuss the international moratorium on whaling with  (a) her Japanese counterpart and  (b) representatives from the government of (i) Antigua and Barbuda, (ii) Benin, (iii) Cambodia, (iv) Cameroon, (v) Cote d'Ivoire, (vi) Denmark and (v) Dominica.

Margaret Beckett: I have only had such discussions and in my previous post as Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. I have no current plans in this regard.
	The departmental lead on this subject lies with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). Officials from DEFRA and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) are in daily contact regarding whaling and work in tandem to lobby governments and to publicise the need for whale conservation.
	Since the last International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting the FCO has lobbied the governments of seven countries to join the IWC, two of which have expressed the intention of joining and voting with the UK.
	The UK led the international condemnation of Iceland's decision to resume commercial whaling. On 1 November 2006, our Ambassador in Reykjavik led a multinational demarche of 25 countries plus the European Commission, making clear the extreme disappointment felt by those parties at Iceland's decision and urging Iceland to abandon its current operations.
	On 31 January 2007 DEFRA and the FCO launched the brochure "Protecting Whales: A Global Responsibility". This brochure is being sent to various 'target' countries with a letter jointly signed by myself and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
	The FCO has begun the annual round of bilateral lobbying in the run-up to the IWC meeting in Anchorage this May.

Labour Statistics

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of recent changes in employment levels in Scotland relative to changes in EU member states.

Douglas Alexander: Scotland continues to benefit from the strong macro-economic stability that this Government has delivered enabling the Scottish labour market to reach new record highs for employment and economic activity. Scotland has one of the highest employment rates out of all EU member states.

Incapacity Benefit

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost of  (a) fraud and  (b) error in incapacity benefit payments in each year since 1997.

James Plaskitt: The information is in the following table.
	It is important to note that changes were made to the identification of error in 2004-05. This led to the inclusion of types of official error, valued at an estimated £20 million, which were not previously captured by the sampling.
	
		
			  Cost of fraud and error in incapacity benefit 
			  April to March each year  Fraud  Customer error  Official error  Total 
			  2000-01 
			 Percentage of benefit overpaid 0.1 0.2 0.5 0.9 
			 Overpaid (£ million) 10 20 30 60 
			  
			  2001-02 
			 Percentage of benefit overpaid 0.1 0.2 0.5 0.9 
			 Overpaid (£ million) 10 20 30 60 
			  
			  2002-03 
			 Percentage of benefit overpaid 0.1 0.2 0.6 1.0 
			 Overpaid (£ million) 10 20 40 70 
			  
			  2003-04 
			 Percentage of benefit overpaid 0.1 0.2 0.8 1.2 
			 Overpaid (£ million) 10 20 50 80 
			  
			  2004-05 
			 Percentage of benefit overpaid 0.1 0.2 1.5 1.9 
			 Overpaid (£ million) 10 20 100 120 
			  
			  2005-06 
			 Percentage of benefit overpaid 0.1 0.2 1.3 1.7 
			 Overpaid (£ million) 10 20 90 110 
			  Notes: 1. Fraud and error in incapacity benefit is not measured every year. The last full review was in 2000-01. As there has been no measurement in other years, it is assumed that the percentage level of fraud and customer error have remained constant. All of the fraud and customer error estimates are calculated by applying the percentage overpaid in 2000-01 to the annual expenditure on incapacity benefit. 2. Official error in incapacity benefit has been measured in every year since 2000-01. 3. The official error estimates for 2004-05 and 2005-06 differ from those published in the relevant departmental resource accounts, as up to date estimates were not available at the time. 4. As the measurement system is based on the examination of a sample of the incapacity benefit case load, the estimates are subject to a degree of statistical uncertainty. For example, the central estimate of official error in 2005-06 is £90 million, but the range in which we can be 95 per cent. sure that the true value lies runs from £70 million to £120 million.

Job Numbers: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many jobs there were in City of York parliamentary constituency in each year since 1992.

Jim Murphy: The available information is in the table.
	
		
			  Jobs in the City of York parliamentary constituency 
			   Number of jobs( 1) 
			 1995 61,843 
			 1996 62,512 
			 1997 67,586 
			 1998 67,400 
			 1999 65,300 
			 2000 64,700 
			 2001 69,700 
			 2002 69,100 
			 2003 70,000 
			 2004 69,000 
			 (1) Figures for all years are confirmed apart from 2003 for which only an approximate figure is available.  Notes: 1. Information is not available at parliamentary constituency level before 1995. 2. Latest available information is to December 2004. 3. Information is not available for self-employed jobs.  Sources: Office for National Statistics Annual Business Inquiry Employee Analysis

Jobseekers Allowance: Greater London

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people claimed jobseeker's allowance in  (a) Hornsey and Wood Green constituency and  (b) each London borough in each of the last five years.

James Plaskitt: The information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of jobseeker's allowance claimants as at January each year from 2003 to 2007 
			   2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Hornsey and Wood Green constituency 3,012 2,924 2,778 3,013 2,837 
			   
			  London borough  
			 Barking and Dagenham 3,127 3,484 3,653 3,960 3,813 
			 Barnet 5,697 5,631 5,158 5,520 5,001 
			 Bexley 2,744 2,939 2,783 3,099 2,936 
			 Brent 8,282 8,241 7,961 7,721 7,620 
			 Bromley 3,827 3,932 3,760 4,096 3,496 
			 Camden 6,012 5,920 5,424 5,587 4,903 
			 City of London 100 109 79 86 76 
			 Croydon 6,418 6,182 5,777 6,480 6,024 
			 Ealing 6,283 6,050 5,657 5,977 5,989 
			 Enfield 5,715 6,067 5,903 6,576 6,451 
			 Greenwich 5,979 6,049 5,848 6,096 5,590 
			 Hackney 8,307 8,159 7,588 7,944 7,823 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 4,736 4,596 3,948 3,957 3,934 
			 Haringey 7,775 7,673 7,473 8,521 7,948 
			 Harrow 2,940 3,169 2,969 3,095 3,006 
			 Havering 2,503 2,431 2,346 2,643 2,632 
			 Hillingdon 3,222 3,677 3,502 3,778 3,540 
			 Hounslow 3,352 3,273 3,019 3,544 3,379 
			 Islington 6,397 6,433 6,020 6,326 5,658 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 3,087 2,991 2,560 2,739 2,509 
			 Kingston-upon-Thames 1,699 1,659 1,621 1,496 1,310 
			 Lambeth 10,810 10,495 9,861 9,718 8,853 
			 Lewisham 8,280 8,048 7,586 7,715 7,078 
			 Merton 3,016 3,022 2,930 3,187 2,863 
			 Newham 7,793 7,242 6,933 7,997 7,975 
			 Redbridge 4,065 4,043 4,025 4,496 4,569 
			 Richmond-upon-Thames 2,000 1,974 1,655 1,661 1,481 
			 Southwark 9,666 9,658 8,986 8,750 7,875 
			 Sutton 1,948 1,938 2,097 2,362 2,075 
			 Tower Hamlets 8,233 8,464 7,661 8,022 8,394 
			 Waltham Forest 6,079 6,075 6,169 6,277 6,439 
			 Wandsworth 5,699 5,503 5,264 5,396 4,779 
			 Westminster, City of 4,612 4,322 3,877 4,225 3,785 
			  Notes: 1. Figures have not been rounded. 2. Figures include clerically held cases.  Source: 100 per cent. count of claimants of unemployment-related benefits, Jobcentre PlusComputerSystems

Overpaid Benefits

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the amount of  (a) pension credit,  (b) housing benefit,  (c) income support,  (d) jobseeker's allowance,  (e) incapacity benefit,  (f) council tax benefit and  (g) state pension overpaid to deceased claimants in the most recent year for which figures are available.

James Plaskitt: Overpayments to deceased claimants arise in two main situations. Firstly when notification of death is received too late to stop an automated payment being made into the deceased's account. This category accounts for approximately 98 per cent. of overpayments arising after the death of a claimant. Secondly when a claimant dies, and it becomes apparent from probate records that the information provided in the original claim was inaccurate.
	The available details of the amount overpaid during the year 2005 to 2006 for the specified benefits is in the table. Information is not available for housing benefit and council tax benefit.
	
		
			  Overpayments arising or identified after death, also expressed as a percentage of benefit expenditure for the benefits specified 2005 to 2006 
			   £ million  Percentage 
			 Pension credit 8.1 0.12 
			 Income support 13.2 0.14 
			 Jobseeker's allowance 0.1 0.004 
			 Incapacity benefit 1.6 0.02 
			 State pension 34.4 0.07 
			 Total 57.4 0.075 
		
	
	From the autumn of 2007, notifications of death will be received on a daily basis from the Office of National Statistics, as opposed to the current weekly basis. This will assist in enabling a prompt cessation of payment following death.

State Retirement Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost of raising the basic state pension, in real terms using 2006-07 prices, to  (a) £90 in 2010,  (b) £100 in 2015,  (c) £105 in 2020,  (d) £110 in 2025 and  (e) £115 in 2030 for new claimants only; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: holding answer 19 February 2007
	Under our reforms, more people will be receiving state pensions based on their national insurance records, and there will be a more generous basic state pension due to the restoration of the earnings link. This provides a solid foundation for private saving. The guarantee credit will continue to provide a safety net and reforms to the savings credit will reduce the spread of means-testing and support the savings incentives that are an integral part of the reform package.
	Raising the level of the basic state pension as specified would lead to a series of cliff-edges in the weekly amounts being received by different retirement cohorts in the same year. An individual who retires in 2009 with full entitlement would receive around £84 (in 2007-08 earnings terms) of weekly basic pension income. In 2012, when earnings-uprating commences, this amount of basic pension would be worth around £82 per week. This individual would then receive this amount each year of their retirement. However, another individual retiring in 2015 would receive £100 in weekly basic pension income—almost £20 more per week than an individual retiring six years earlier. This disparity would continue to grow until 2030, when new retirees would receive £115 per week.
	The following table contains the cost of raising the basic state pension as specified in the hon. Member's question. These costs are additional to the costs of pension reform set out in the regulatory impact assessment accompanying the Pensions Bill. No further policy changes have been assumed.
	
		
			  Additional costs to pension reform of increasing the basic state pension as specified, net of income-related benefit savings 
			   £ billion (2006-07 prices) 
			 2010 0.1 
			 2011 0.3 
			 2012 0.6 
			 2013 1.0 
			 2014 1.3 
			 2015 1.8 
			 2016 2.4 
			 2017 3.0 
			 2018 3.6 
			 2019 4.3 
			 2020 5.2 
			 2030 20.4 
			 2040 42.7 
			 2050 61.0 
			  Notes: 1. Estimates of additional expenditure are consistent with the policy detail set out in the regulatory impact assessment accompanying the Pensions Bill. Net costs include savings seen from reduced expenditure on other income-related benefits (pension credit, housing benefit and council tax benefit). They do not include any change in income tax revenue or national insurance. 2. The costs of raising the basic state pension as described are additional to the costs of pension reform set out in the regulatory impact assessment. They assume the basic state pension is uprated by earnings from 2012, and is set at the levels specified in the question for new retirees only. That is, an individual would retire with a given level of basic state pension, and maintain that level (in earnings terms) throughout their retirement. They would not benefit from the higher rates in later years as specified in the question. 3. Net costs assume the pension credit standard minimum guarantee is uprated by earnings from 2008, and the savings credit maximum is uprated by earnings from 2008 and then by prices from 2015. 4. Costs or savings presented in the table are based on long-term projections of United Kingdom benefit spend, consistent with the pre-Budget report 2006. 5. Figures exclude the effect of personal accounts.

Sunbeds

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will update leaflet INDG209 to include warnings about the use of unstaffed tanning salons.

Anne McGuire: The Health and Safety Executive and Department of Health have agreed to update leaflet INDG209, Controlling Health Risks from the useof UV tanning equipment, and this will include consideration of warnings about the use of unstaffed tanning salons.

Written Questions: Administrative Delays

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to answer question 108016, tabled on 5 December 2006 by the hon. Member for Portsmouth South.

Anne McGuire: I replied to the hon. Member's question on 19 February 2007,  Official Report,column 368W.

Asylum and Immigration

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many rulings made by the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal involving female asylum seekers who claim they have been raped in their own countries were refused on appeal in the last12 months.

Liam Byrne: The Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (AIT) does not record statistics regarding the volume of appeals brought by female appellants where there have been allegations of rape and which are subsequently dismissed. The information requested cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate costs through the examination of individual appeal files.

Community Policing

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance his Department has given to chief constables on the deployment of safer neighbourhood teams between midnight and6 am.

Vernon Coaker: The Home Office does not provide any guidance on the deployment of safer neighbourhood teams, also known as neighbourhood policing teams, between the hours of midnight and 6 am. the availability and working hours of all neighbourhood policing teams is an operational decision for the chief constable in each area, as informed by the needs and priorities of the local community.

Community Support Officers: North Yorkshire

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many community support officers were recruited in North Yorkshire in each of the last three years; and how many he expects to be recruited in 2007-08.

Vernon Coaker: The available data for police community support officer (PCSO) recruits for 2003-04 to 2005-06 are in the table.
	North Yorkshire police has an overall strength target of 183 PCSOs for April 2007 and in support of this will receive funding totalling 2.4 million in 2006-07, increasing to 3.2 million in 2007-08. It is a matter for the Chief Constable and the Police Authority to take decisions on the number of PCSOs and other staff that the force should recruit in 2007-08.
	
		
			  Police community support officer recruits( 1)  and total strength (FTE)( 2)  from 2003-04 to 2005-06( 3) 
			   Recruits  Strength 
			 2003-04 (4)n/a 52 
			 2004-05 32 75 
			 2005-06 2 71 
			 (1) Recruits include those officers joining as Police Standard Direct Recruits and those who were previously Special Constables. This excludes police community support officers on transfers from other forces and those rejoining. Data have not been previously published in this format, published data are for all joiners. (2) Full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sum of constituent items. (3) Financial year runs from 1 April to 31 March inclusive. (4) Data are not available for recruits in 2003-04. Data for overall strength have therefore been included.

Crime: Young People

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences were committed by young people in each of the last 10 years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Data from the Court Proceedings Database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform showing the number of persons aged 10 to 20 convicted or cautioned for an offence for the years 1996-2005, are provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Number of persons found guilty or cautioned for all offences, England and Wales, 1996-2005( 1, 2) 
			   Aged 10 to 17  Aged 18 to 20 
			 1996 187,740 197,480 
			 1997 183,671 202,871 
			 1998 196,231 214,856 
			 1999 194,258 210,028 
			 2000 188,964 201,939 
			 2001 193,572 195,096 
			 2002 181,135 196,878 
			 2003 184,474 201,860 
			 2004 201,198 193,815 
			 2005 214,979 187,741 
			 (1 )Principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Departmental Studies

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which studies have been commissioned by his Department from  (a) external agencies,  (b) companies,  (c) academics and  (d) individuals in 2006.

Liam Byrne: The available information covers research studies. My Department undertakes a wide range of external research studies that support the development of information-led policy, including scientific and social research. Research is commissioned externally usually through competitive tendering exercises and is subject to contract. The following table lists the title of all the external research contracts let in 2006 from agencies, companies, academics and individuals.

Domestic Violence

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of domestic violence were reported to the police in each of the last five years; and how many of those resulted in a conviction for an offence.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 21 February 2007
	Data on the number of domestic violence incidents are given in Table one. These data are British Crime Survey (BCS) estimates for the number of incidents occurring which are derived from interviews taking place within the given financial years. These data are published annually in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin Crime in England and Wales (data as at 2005-06), and can be downloaded from:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs06/hosb1206.pdf
	Data on the number of convictions for domestic violence cases are given in Table two. These data are held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), and data are available from 2005.
	
		
			  Table 1: Estimated number of domestic violence incidents( 1)  against men and women, from 2001-02 to 2005-06( 2) 
			   Domestic incidents (Thousand) 
			 2001-02 635 
			 2002-03 501 
			 2003-04 446 
			 2004-05 401 
			 2005-06 357 
			 (1) British crime survey (BCS) violence includes common assault, wounding, robbery and snatch theft. (2) Financial year runs from 1 April to 31 March inclusive, figures relate to estimates derived from BCS interviews taking place in financial years.

Immigration Removal Centres

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people escaped from immigration removal centres in the UK in the last12 months; at which centres these escapes occurred; and how many of these escapees have been returned to the immigration authorities.

Liam Byrne: There have been 12 escapes from immigration removal centres in the UK in the last12 months; one from Dungavel and 11 from Oakington. Records of the number of escapees who have been returned to the immigration authorities are not collated centrally.

Local Child Curfew Schemes: Suffolk

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many child curfew orders were breached in Suffolk in each year since 1997.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Quality checks have shown that the data are unsuitable for publication. Statistics on breaches can therefore only be published when significant improvements have been made to the submissions of this data to the Home Office.

Passports

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are undertaken  (a) to check the validity of and  (b) to prevent fraudulent use of passports apparently issued in (i) Poland, (ii) Slovakia, (iii) Lithuania, (iv) Latvia and (v) Estonia; and how many such passports have been (A) found to be invalid and (B) fraudulently or incorrectly used since EU enlargement.

Liam Byrne: The lead role in protecting the United Kingdom from the use of invalid or fraudulent travel documentation, including Polish, Slovakian, Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian passports, is taken by the National Document Fraud Unit (NDFU) of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND). The NDFU provides IND with equipment, information and comprehensive training in document checking in order to provide IND staff with the relevant knowledge and skills to identify document fraud.
	The NDFU also represents the United Kingdom at the EU Frontiers/False Documents Working Party, which is attended by the five states in the question. The group facilitates the rapid transfer of intelligence regarding specific instances of travel document related crime, lost and stolen passports, and for conducting bilateral passport validity checks.
	Statistics are only compiled under the general heading of detection of instances of travel document fraud. The following tables show that between enlargement on 1 May 2004 and October 2006 the following fraudulent Polish, Slovakian, Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian passports were detected at United Kingdom ports of entry and Enforcement and Compliance offices:
	
		
			  Ports of entry 
			   Number 
			 Poland 302 
			 Slovakia 122 
			 Lithuania 943 
			 Latvia 124 
			 Estonia 21 
			 Total 1,512 
		
	
	
		
			  Enforcement and compliance offices 
			   Number 
			 Poland 42 
			 Slovakia 7 
			 Lithuania 215 
			 Latvia 36 
			 Estonia 9 
			 Total 309

Passports

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the first interviews to be held under the Identity and Passport Service's proposed Authentication by Interview scheme.

John Reid: As explained in the Strategic ActionPlan for the National Identity Scheme published on19 December 2006, the requirement to attend an interview will be introduced gradually, starting with small-scale interviews in a limited number of interview offices from April 2007, with IPS progressively adding further offices through to the end of 2007.

Prisoners: Learning Disability

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of prisoners have learning difficulties.

Phil Hope: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested is not available centrally. However, a project undertaken by the Dyslexia Institute looked at evidence of the incidence of dyslexia and related learning disabilities among the prison population. The findings suggested that 20 per cent. of the prison population have some form of unseen (hidden) disability which will affect and undermine their performance in both education and work settings. A further 32 per cent. of the sample who were given an in-depth assessment had literacy difficulties but didnot show positive evidence of the characteristics of dyslexia, dyspraxia or other unseen disabilities.

Private Prisons

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what fines have been served on the companies operating private prisons since their opening; for what reasons; and whether any fines served on companies operating private prisons have been waived.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The financial deductions from the fees paid to the companies operating prisons are listed in the table.
	The deductions were made in respect of poor performance as measured in terms of the contractual performance management system. Escapes and doubling of cell occupation in excess of the permitted level are penalised separately.
	There are two instances of deductions being waived, either partially or in full. Altcourse prison incurred penalty points of 715,646 for Q 2 and 3 1998, but this was reduced to 195,000 as part of contractual refinancing in November 1999, when it was agreed the Prisons Service was owed 1,000,000 due to increased termination liabilities, less the total penalty due to be deducted (715,646).
	An escape occurred at Forest Bank in March 2005 for which a penalty was not raised on the grounds that the escape could not have been prevented unless the escorting staff put their own lives at risk.
	
		
			   
			   1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07( 1) 
			  GSL  
			 Altcourse 895,176.85 11,210
			 Rye Hill 60,000 18,352 164,963 58,907  
			 Wolds  3,608 35,568 19,877  
			   
			  Kalyx (UKDS)  
			 Forest Bank37,485  
			 Bronzefield  
			 Peterborough  
			   
			  SERCO  
			 Ashfield50,000 370,744 
			 Doncaster 30,000 
			 Dovegate  
			 Lowdham  
			 Grange 77,013 6,334 11,865 5,703 53,721 
			   
			  G4S  
			 Parc 671,191 197,836 4,694 59   11,961.39 85,000  
			 Total 1,643,380.85 218,988 52127.37 75639.22 514,465 18,352 176,924 181,392 0 
			 (1) To date.

Sentences

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answers of 23 January 2007,  Official Report, columns 1706-8W, on sentences, what the average sentence was served by prisoners released in each of the last 10 years after serving sentences for each of the categories of crime set out in the answers.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Information on the average time served for all offences, by sentence length can be found in table 10.1 of the Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2005 copies of which can be found in the House of Commons Library. This information is also available at the following websites:
	 For 2005:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs07/hosb1806 section10.xls
	 For 2004:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/hosb1705 section10.xls
	 For 2003:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs04/hosb1504 section10.xls
	For the years before 2003 table 3.14 in Prison statistics England and Wales 2002 (CM 5996) gives average time served in prison under sentence by prisoners discharged on licence from 1993 to 2002. Copies of this publication can be found in the House of Commons Library.
	The data, which are obtained from the prison IT system, are not shown separately by offence because the accuracy of the prison discharge data is not reliable at this level.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system, and although shown to the last individual the figures may not be accurate to that level.
	
		
			  Table 10.1: average time served in prison by prisoners discharged from determinate sentences on completion of sentence or on licenceadults: England and Wales 2003 
			Month   
			 Average time served  Percentage of time served 
			  Length of sentence( 1)  Number of persons discharged( 2,3)  Average length of sentence  Including remand time  Excluding remand time  Including remand time  Excluding remand time 
			  Adult male and female   
			 All lengths of sentence less than life 69,611 16.4 8.7 7.4 53 45 
			 Up to and including three months 17,255 2.0 1.0 0.8 48 38 
			 Over three months up to and including six months 19,532 4.8 2.2 1.8 46 36 
			 Over six months less than 12 months 5,917 8.6 3.9 3.0 45 35 
			 12 months 2,954 12.0 5.4 4.2 45 35 
			 Over 12 months up to and including 18 months 5,062 16.5 7.7 6.1 46 37 
			 Over 18 months up to and including three years 9,895 28.6 14.1 12.0 49 42 
			 Over three years less than four years 2,708 42.6 21.8 19.1 51 45 
			 Four years 1,547 48.0 28.1 25.0 58 52 
			 Over four years up to and including five years 1,948 57.4 34.3 30.2 60 53 
			 Over five years up to and including 10 years 2,471 85.7 52.3 46.0 61 54 
			 Over 10 years less than life 322 155.2 92.5 81.9 60 53 
			
			  Adult male   
			 All lengths of sentence less than life 63,452 16.7 8.9 7.6 53 46 
			 Up to and including three months 15,195 2.0 1.0 0.8 49 38 
			 Over three months up to and including six months 17,947 4.8 2.2 1.8 46 36 
			 Over six months less than 12 months 5,366 8.6 4.0 3.1 46 35 
			 12 months 2,685 12.0 5.5 4.2 45 35 
			 Over 12 months up to and including 18 months 4,666 16.5 7.7 6.2 47 37 
			 Over 18 months up to and including three years 9,163 28.5 14.2 12.0 50 42 
			 Over three years less than four years 2,514 42.6 21.8 19.1 51 45 
			 Four years 1,454 48.0 28.2 25.1 59 52 
			 Over four years up to and including five years 1,822 57.4 34.5 30.3 60 53 
			 Over five years up to and including 10 years 2,340 85.7 52.7 46.3 62 54 
			 Over 10 years less than life 300 155.2 93.5 82.6 60 53 
			
			  Adult female   
			 All lengths of sentence less than life 6,159 13.4 6.4 5.5 48 41 
			 Up to and including three months 2,060 1.9 0.9 0.7 45 37 
			 Over three months up to and including six months 1,585 4.8 2.1 1.7 44 35 
			 Over six months less than 12 months 551 8.6 3.6 2.8 41 32 
			 12 months 269 12.0 5.3 4.1 44 34 
			 Over 12 months up to and including 18 months 396 16.7 7.1 5.7 43 34 
			 Over 18 months up to and including three years 732 29.0 13.4 11.4 46 39 
			 Over three years less than four years 194 42.8 21.1 18.5 49 43 
			 Four years 93 48.0 26.6 23.4 55 49 
			 Over four years up to and including five years 126 57.9 31.4 28.4 54 49 
			 Over five years up to and including 10 years 131 87.0 45.6 41.1 52 47 
			 Over 10 years less than life 22 154.3 78.8 71.4 51 46 
			 (1) On discharge: the sentence may change after reception if there are further charges or an appeal. (2) Excludes discharges following recall after release on licence, non-criminals, and persons committed to custody for non-payment of a fine. (3) Figures in this column have been revised since initial publication of this bulletin. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 10.1: average time served in prison by prisoners discharged from determinate sentences on completion of sentence or on licenceadults: England and Wales 2004 
			Month   
			 Average time served  Percentage of sentence served 
			  Length of sentence( 1)  Number of persons discharged( 2,3)  Average length of sentence  Including remand time  Excluding remand time  Including remand time  Excluding remand time 
			  Adult male and female   
			 All lengths of sentence less than life 71,000 16.4 8.8 7.6 53 47 
			 Up to and including three months 18,100 2.0 0.9 0.8 47 39 
			 Over three months up to and including six months 19,900 4.8 2.2 1.8 46 37 
			 Over six months less than 12 months 6,200 8.6 3.9 3.1 46 36 
			 12 months 3,000 12.0 5.6 4.4 46 37 
			 Over 12 months up to and including 18 months 4,800 16.5 7.7 6.2 47 38 
			 Over 18 months up to and including three years 9,400 28.6 14.4 12.3 50 43 
			 Over three years less than four years 2,700 42.6 22.1 19.4 52 46 
			 Four years 1,600 48.0 28.5 25.4 59 53 
			 Over four years up to and including five years 2,300 57.3 34.0 30.7 59 54 
			 Over five years up to and including 10 years 2,600 85.1 51.1 45.5 60 54 
			 Over 10 years less than life 400 159.4 94.2 84.6 59 53 
			
			  Adult male   
			 All lengths of sentence less than life 64,400 16.8 9.0 7.9 54 47 
			 Up to and including three months 15,900 2.0 0.9 0.8 48 39 
			 Over three months up to and including six months 18,200 4.8 2.2 1.8 46 38 
			 Over six months less than 12 months 5,500 8.6 4.0 3.1 46 36 
			 12 months 2,700 12.0 5.6 4.4 46 37 
			 Over 12 months up to and including 18 months 4,400 16.5 7.8 6.2 47 38 
			 Over 18 months up to and including three years 8,700 28.6 14.5 12.3 51 43 
			 Over three years less than four years 2,600 42.6 22.2 19.6 52 46 
			 Four years 1,600 48.0 28.6 25.5 60 53 
			 Over four years up to and including five years 2,200 57.2 34.2 30.8 60 54 
			 Over five years up to and including 10 years 2,400 85.2 51.7 46.0 61 54 
			 Over 10 years less than life 400 160.0 95.1 85.5 59 53 
			
			  Adult female   
			 All lengths of sentence less than life 6,700 12.6 6.1 5.2 48 41 
			 Up to and including three months 2,300 1.9 0.9 0.7 46 39 
			 Over three months up to and including six months 1,700 4.8 2.1 1.7 44 37 
			 Over six months less than 12 months 700 8.6 3.7 2.9 43 34 
			 12 months 300 12.0 5.3 4.3 44 36 
			 Over 12 months up to and including 18 months 400 16.7 7.1 6.1 43 37 
			 Over 18 months up to and including three years 700 28.8 13.5 11.5 47 40 
			 Over three years less than four years 200 42.5 21.0 17.6 49 41 
			 Four years 90 48.0 26.8 23.7 56 49 
			 Over four years up to and including 5 years 100 57.5 31.8 28.2 55 49 
			 Over five years up to and including 10 years 200 83.5 43.1 38.5 52 46 
			 Over 10 years less than life 10 138.7 62.9 57.7 45 42 
			 (1) On discharge: the sentence may change after reception if there are further charges or an appeal. (2) Excludes discharges following recall after release on licence, non-criminals, persons committed to custody for non-payment of a fine and persons reclassified as adult prisoners. (3) Rounded to the nearest 100 or to the nearest 10 for number less than 100. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 10.1: average time served in prison by prisoners discharged from determinate sentences on completion of sentence or on licenceadults: England and Wales 2005 
			Month   
			 Average time served  Percentage of sentence served 
			  Length of sentence( 1)  Number of persons discharged( 2,3)  Average length of sentence  Including remand time  Excluding remand time  Including remand time  Excluding remand time 
			  Adult male and female   
			 All lengths of sentence less than indeterminate 70,500 16.8 9.0 8.0 54 48 
			 Up to and including three months 17,800 1.9 0.9 0.8 49 41 
			 Over three months up to and including six months 18,900 4.7 2.2 1.8 47 39 
			 Over six months less than 12 months 6,100 8.7 4.0 3.1 46 36 
			 12 months 3,000 12.0 5.5 4.4 46 37 
			 Over 12 months up to and including 18 months 4,900 16.3 7.6 6.2 46 38 
			 Over 18 months up to and including three years 9,500 28.5 14.4 12.4 51 44 
			 Over three years less than four years 2,900 42.5 22.5 19.8 53 46 
			 Four years 1,700 48.0 28.7 25.7 60 53 
			 Over four years up to and including five years 2,400 57.2 34.2 30.7 60 54 
			 Over five years up to and including 10 years 2,800 84.3 50.0 45.1 59 54 
			 Over 10 years less than indeterminate 400 160.5 93.9 84.5 58 53 
			
			  Adult male   
			 All lengths of sentence less than indeterminate 64,000 17.2 9.3 8.3 54 48 
			 Up to and including three months 15,700 1.9 1.0 0.8 49 41 
			 Over three months up to and including six months 17,300 4.7 2.2 1.8 47 39 
			 Over six months less than 12 months 5,500 8.7 4.0 3.2 46 36 
			 12 months 2,800 12.0 5.6 4.4 47 37 
			 Over 12 months up to and including 18 months 4,400 16.3 7.6 6.3 47 38 
			 Over 18 months up to and including three years 8,800 28.5 14.5 12.5 51 44 
			 Over three years less than four years 2,700 42.5 22.6 19.9 53 47 
			 Four years 1,600 48.0 28.8 25.8 60 54 
			 Over four years up to and including five years 2,300 57.2 34.5 30.9 60 54 
			 Over five years up to and including 10 years 2,600 84.2 50.6 45.6 60 54 
			 Over 10 years less than indeterminate 400 160.9 94.3 85.0 59 53 
			
			  Adult female   
			 All lengths of sentence less than indeterminate 6,500 13.1 6.2 5.4 48 41 
			 Up to and including three months 2,200 1.9 0.9 0.8 47 41 
			 Over three months up to and including six months 1,600 4.7 2.1 1.8 45 37 
			 Over six months less than 12 months 700 8.7 3.7 2.9 42 33 
			 12 months 300 12.0 4.9 3.9 41 33 
			 Over. 12 months up to and including 18 months 400 16.4 6.7 5.6 41 34 
			 Over 18 months up to and including three years 700 28.5 13.5 11.6 47 41 
			 Over three years less than four years 200 42.6 20.7 18.6 49 44 
			 Four years 90 48.0 27.3 24.3 57 51 
			 Over four years up to and including five years 100 57.5 30.5 26.6 53 46 
			 Over five years up to and including 10 years 200 85.1 41.7 37.6 49 44 
			 Over 10 years less than indeterminate 10 147.6 81.3 67.2 55 46 
			 (1) On discharge: the sentence may change after reception if there are further charges or an appeal. (2) Excludes discharges following recall after release on licence, non-criminals, persons committed to custody for non-payment of a fine and persons reclassified as adult prisoners. (3) Rounded to the nearest 100 or to the nearest 10 for number less than 100.  Source: Quality: These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, but the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. See Technical appendix of report for fuller information.

Young Offenders: Gloucestershire

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) under 12-year-olds,  (b) 13-year-olds,  (c) 14-year-olds,  (d) 15-year-olds,  (e) 16-year-olds and  (f) 17-year-olds had criminal records in Gloucestershire in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Data from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform for the number of juveniles (10 to 17) proceeded against at magistrates court and convicted at all courts for various offences in Gloucestershire police force area 1997-2005 can be found in the following tables.
	
		
			  Number of young persons aged 10 to 17 proceeded against magistrates court for various offences in Gloucestershire police force area, 1997 to 2005( 1, 2) 
			  Age  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 10 (3) 10 (3) 1 (3) 2 2 (3) 1 
			 11 6 8 13 5 6 6 9 5 5 
			 12 33 13 22 33 21 43 23 11 28 
			 13 67 55 29 34 59 46 69 57 62 
			 14 104 100 78 82 88 88 100 99 118 
			 15 174 184 156 154 169 156 152 165 225 
			 16 246 232 297 285 284 283 238 234 283 
			 17 467 444 405 444 518 403 450 379 423 
			 Total 1,097 1,046 1,000 1,038 1,145 1,027 1,043 950 1,145 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Nil  Source: RDS office for Criminal Justice Reform 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of young persons aged 10 to 17 convicted at all courts for various offences in Gloucestershire police force area, 1997 to 2005( 1, 2) 
			  Age  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 10 (3) 2 (3) (3) (3) 1 1 (3) (3) 
			 11 1 2 7 2 3 4 5 1 3 
			 12 16 4 18 16 15 32 18 7 22 
			 13 33 33 19 18 40 31 51 40 47 
			 14 63 55 43 54 66 67 74 75 90 
			 15 97 113 87 104 114 106 101 130 160 
			 16 152 135 176 170 187 200 173 174 200 
			 17 318 267 260 306 332 280 288 292 287 
			 Total 680 611 610 670 757 721 711 719 809 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Nil  Source:  Source:  RDS Office for Criminal Justice Reform

Driving Instruction

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many driving instructors have qualified to instruct in 2007; and how many qualified in  (a) England,  (b) Scotland and  (c) Wales in each of the last 10 years.

Stephen Ladyman: 3,978 driving instructors have qualified to instruct for payment in 2007. This figure reflects the position as at 31 January 2007 and is the latest available data.
	The number of driving instructors who have qualified in England Scotland and Wales from 2004 to 2007 is shown in the following table. The Driving Standards Agency does not hold the information prior to 2004.
	
		
			  Area  2004-2005  2005-2006  2006 to January 2007 
			 England 3252 3352 3,020 
			 Scotland 370 367 283 
			 Wales 884 866 675 
		
	
	Prior to 2004-2005, data is only available for the total number of Approved Driving Instructors (ADIs) joining the Register of ADIs. The number of new registrations on the following Register.
	
		
			   Number 
			 1996-97 2,351 
			 1997-98 2,425 
			 1998-99 2,478 
			 1999-2000 2,264 
			 2000-01 2,767 
			 2001-02 3,123 
			 2002-03 3,250 
			 2003-04 5,056

Heathrow Airport: Noise

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions BAA imposed fines when aeroplanes exceeded noise limits when  (a) entering and  (b) exiting Heathrow airport in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: Airlines who infringe noise limits (which are for departures only) are surcharged by BAA Heathrow, in the form of a 'noise supplement'. Details are reported annually in BAA Heathrow's Flight Evaluation Reports. The relevant data for the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			   Number by night  Number by day  Total  Total fines () 
			 2001-02 233 139 372 191,500 
			 2002-03 201 77 278 182,500 
			 2003-04 113 82 195 112,500 
			 2004-05 117 15 132 73,500 
			 2005-06 168 42 210 120,000

Roads: Accidents

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people were  (a) injured and  (b) killed in automobile accidents by those (i) under 25 years of age and (ii) over 25 years of age in each of the last 10 years.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of people injured and killed in reported personal injury road accidents where there was at least one motor vehicle driver/rider (i) under the age of 25 and (ii) aged 25 and over in each of the last 10 years is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Casualties from reported personal injury road accidents involving drivers/riders of motor vehicles aged under 25 and drivers/riders of motor vehicles aged 25 and over, Great Britain, 1996 to 2005 
			  Number of casualties 
			   Age of driver/rider 
			   Under 25( 1)  25 and over( 1) 
			   Fatal  Injured  Fatal  Injured 
			 1996 1,288 112,127 2,848 262,065 
			 1997 1,219 111,418 2,914 272,147 
			 1998 1,070 106,973 2,863 272,454 
			 1999 1,022 101,259 2,842 268,005 
			 2000 1,019 99,728 2,840 268,663 
			 2001 1,084 98,398 2,849 260,753 
			 2002 1,088 98,132 2,819 251,078 
			 2003 1,100 94,539 2,884 238,321 
			 2004 1,134 93,166 2,567 229,760 
			 2005 1,119 91,702 2,567 220,432 
			 (1) Accidents that involve both a driver under the age of 25 and a driver aged 25 or over will be included in both categories.

Apprentices

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the completion rates were for  (a) Apprenticeships and  (b) Advance Apprenticeships in each sector in the latest period for which figures are available.

Bill Rammell: The following table shows success rates for Apprenticeships and Advanced Apprenticeships (calculated as the number of leavers who met all the requirements of their Apprenticeship framework, divided by the number of learners who have either left training or successfully completed their programme). These data were published in Table 8 of the Statistical First Release, 'Further Education and Work Based LearningLearner Outcomes in England: 2004/05' in April 2006.
	
		
			  Success rates in LSC funded work based learning provision 
			  Percentage 
			   2003-04  2004-05 
			  Sector subject area  Advanced apprenticeships  Apprenticeships  (at level 2)  Advanced apprenticeships  Apprenticeships  (at level 2) 
			 Agriculture, Horticulture and Animal Care 40 36 39 43 
			 Arts, Media and Publishing 35 31 36 24 
			 Business, Administration and Law 31 37 42 47 
			 Construction, Planning and the Built Environment 39 25 46 40 
			 Education and Training (1) (1) (1) (1) 
			 Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies 38 30 46 43 
			 Health, Public Services and Care 24 16 22 32 
			 History, Philosophy and Theology (1) (1) (1) (1) 
			 Information and Communication Technology 49 51 56 50 
			 Languages, Literature and Culture (1) (1) (1) (1) 
			 Leisure, Travel and Tourism 38 26 28 35 
			 Preparation for Life and Work 20 (1) 15 (1) 
			 Retail and Commercial Enterprise 21 29 24 40 
			 Science and Mathematics (1) (1) 53 (1) 
			 Social Sciences (1) (1) (1) (1) 
			 Unspecified Sector Subject Area (1) 57 6 8 
			 Total 32 30 38 40 
			 (1) Number of learners less than 50  Source: Learning and Skills Council Individualised Learner Record (ILR)

Departments: Complaints

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many complaints were received by his Department and its Executive agencies in  (a) 1997-98,  (b) 2001-02 and  (c) 2005-06; and how many have been received in 2006-07 to date.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department for Education and Skills does not keep a central record of complaints and to gather this data would incur disproportionate cost.

Further Education: Eastbourne

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people over the age of 60 years were enrolled in  (a) full-time and  (b) part-time (i) vocational and (ii) non-vocational courses in colleges of further education in Eastbourne in 2005-06.

Phil Hope: The information requested is not yet available for Eastbourne for 2005/06; but will be available in approximately six weeks. Consequently, the information provided as follows is for Sussex and England.
	In 2005/06, there were some 3,900 Learning and Skills Council funded learners aged over 60 in Sussex; of these, 2.4 per cent. were full-time learners and 97.6 per cent. were part-time learners. There were 147,100 Learning and Skills Council funded learners aged over 60 in England. Of these, 1.5 per cent. were full-time learners and 98.5 per cent. were part-time learners. There is no precise definition of what constitutes a vocationalor non-vocational course in colleges of furthereducation.

Higher Education: Admissions

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of children leaving full-time education in  (a) all North East constituencies and  (b) the rest of the UK went on to a place at university in each of the last five years.

Bill Rammell: The latest available figures on participation in higher education by constituencywere published by the Higher Education Funding Council for England in January 2005 in Young Participation in England, which is available from their website at:
	http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2005/05_03/
	This report shows participation rates for young people who enter higher education aged 18 or 19, disaggregated by region, for the years 1997 to 2000. The figures for North East region, and the comparable figure for England, are shown in the table. HEFCE have not produced participation rates beyond 2000.
	
		
			  Young Participation Rate (YPR (A)) in higher education( 1)  for year cohort aged 18 
			   Cohort for North East region( 2)  Young Participation Rate (A) for North East region( 3 ) (percentage)  Young Participation Rate (A) for England (percentage) 
			 1997 33,000 24.2 29.2 
			 1998 34,100 23.4 28.8 
			 1999 33,000 24.0 29.2 
			 2000 32,000 24.0 29.9 
			 (1) Covers all students studying higher education courses at UK higher education institutions and other UK institutions, for example further education colleges  (2) Cohorts are reported to the nearest 100.  (3) Young Participation Rates for constituencies are reported to the nearest percentage.   Source:  Higher Education Funding Council for England. 
		
	
	The total number of entrants from the North East region for each year since 2001/02 are given in the following table:
	
		
			  UK domiciled entrants aged 18 to undergraduate courses at all UK higher education institutions 
			  Academic year  North East region  Rest of UK 
			 2001/02 6,570 146,290 
			 2002/03 6,615 150,305 
			 2003/04 6,735 152,210 
			 2004/05 6,580 154,440 
			 2005/06 7,100 169,560 
			  Note:  Figures are on a HESA Standard Registration Population basis and are rounded to the nearest 5.   Source:  Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). 
		
	
	The Department uses the higher Education Initial Participation Rate (HEIPR) to assess progress on increasing first-time participation of English students aged 18 to 30 in higher education towards 50 per cent: the latest provisional figure for 2004/05 is 42 per cent. The HEIPR is not calculated at regional level.

Higher Education: Student Numbers

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many applications to universities were made in each academic year from 1997 to 2007, broken down by ethnic group.

Bill Rammell: The available information is as follows. The figures are taken from data collected by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) which are limited to students who apply to full-time first degree courses via the UCAS application system. The figures do not therefore cover part-time students nor those full-time students who apply directly to higher education institutions.
	
		
			  UK domiciled applicants to full-time undergraduate courses through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) 
			   Year of entry 
			  Ethnic group  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 White 315,137 300,927 299,620 298,395 302,636 304,366 311,615 314,251 339,781 
			 Black 14,815 14,039 14,148 14,611 14,441 14,728 17,019 18,651 23,120 
			 Asian 34,960 35,872 37,564 38,553 39,785 37,883 38,914 39,735 41,823 
			 Mixed n/a n/a n/a n/a 6,841 7,523 8,365 9,260 11,571 
			 Other 6,367 6,346 6,749 7,171 2,888 2,636 2,876 3,660 4,692 
			 Unknown 27,048 32,404 30,610 30,361 33,054 34,718 31,179 27,777 23,643 
			 Grand total 398,327 389,588 388,691 389,091 399,645 401,854 409,968 413,334 444,630 
			  Note: There have been a number of changes to the ethnic origin classifications between 1996 and 2005 entry, including the introduction of other groupings such as mixed, and Chinese. In the table, Chinese has been included in Asian.  Source: Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS)

Higher Education: Student Numbers

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many applications to university places for degrees longer than three years there were in each of the last 10 years.

Bill Rammell: The available information relates to entrants to full-time first degree courses. The latest information, for academic years 1996/97 to 2005/06, is shown in the table. Comparable information for 2006/07 will be available in January next year.
	
		
			  Number of entrants to full-time first degree courses by expected length of study, English higher education institutions,  academic years 1996/97 to 2005/06 
			   Length of study 
			  Academic year  3 years or less  More than 3 years  Not known  Total 
			 1996/97 174,975 76,335 6,810 258,120 
			 1997/98 185,265 83,695 4,365 273,325 
			 1998/99 181,010 75,745 6,375 263,130 
			 1999/2000 180,190 74,380 6,555 261,125 
			 2000/01 183,190 72,430 5,270 260,890 
			 2001/02 196,590 70,630 5,430 272,650 
			 2002/03 210,405 72,330 5,160 287,895 
			 2003/04 220,755 71,585 2,140 294,480 
			 2004/05 222,325 74,645 1,155 298,125 
			 2005/06 235,480 78,950 2,020 316,450 
			  Notes:  1. Figures are on a snapshot basis as at 1 December and are rounded to the nearest 5. Therefore components may not sum to totals.  2. Comparable information on applications to full-time first degree courses is not held centrally. attern of study.   Source:  Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

Housing Waiting Lists

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were on housing waiting lists in each housing executive district in each of the past 18 months; how many people in each district have been waiting  (a) less than six months,  (b) six to 18 months,  (c) 18 to 24 months and  (d) over 24 months for housing.

David Hanson: The information requested is set out as follows: Table 1 provides the numbers at the end of each quarter over the last 18 months; table 2 provides the length of time applicants have been waiting for accommodation.
	
		
			  Table 1: Applicants on Waiting List (the breakdown of the waiting list is a snapshot of applicants for Housing Executive properties on the waiting list on the last day of the month shown) 
			   Applicants 
			  Housing Executive District  December 2006  September 2006  June 2006  March 2006  December 2005  September 2005 
			 Antrim 926 888 845 792 777 786 
			 Armagh 770 715 694 659 668 657 
			 Ballycastle 301 295 286 289 305 308 
			 Ballymena 1,333 1,338 1,295 1,254 1,170 1,146 
			 Ballymoney 424 421 408 392 379 357 
			 Banbridge 619 565 539 508 506 499 
			 Bangor 1,767 1,682 1,644 16,391 1,622 1,599 
			 Belfast 1 1,078 1,083 1,041 1,050 1,040 1,047 
			 Balfast 2 1,636 1,624 1,598 1,594 1,548 1,586 
			 Balfast 3 1,038 1,089 1,056 1,010 973 997 
			 Balfast 4 926 910 872 844 900 915 
			 Balfast 5 753 739 712 697 700 688 
			 Balfast 6 1,238 1,235 1,186 1,180 1,155 1,171 
			 Balfast 7 1,958 1,937 1,874 1,845 1,811 1,781 
			 Carrickfergus 942 910 900 916 890 880 
			 Castlereagh 1,101 1,103 1,065 1,060 1,048 1,037 
			 Coleraine 1,149 1,083 1,047 1,034 998 981 
			 Cookstown 340 341 328 326 340 336 
			 Downpatrick 1,145 1,118 1,103 1,027 1,028 1,004 
			 Dungannon 716 713 658 667 642 647 
			 Fermanagh 1,012 998 987 918 916 887 
			 Larne 457 421 406 380 389 393 
			 Limavady 535 519 481 474 462 448 
			 Lisburn Antrim Street 1,687 1,676 1,659 1,594 1,590 1,609 
			 Lisburn Dairy Farm 589 563 525 515 530 593 
			 Londonderry 1 742 747 739 715 684 678 
			 Londonderry 2 659 656 645 607 584 587 
			 Londonderry 3 694 681 676 671 622 597 
			 Lurgan 962 927 866 854 834 838 
			 Magherafelt 458 457 432 409 409 411 
			 Newry 1,679 1,667 1,606 1,562 1,582 1,543 
			 Newtownabbey 1 718 707 682 712 704 685 
			 Newtownabbey 2 779 777 777 747 701 699 
			 Newtownards 1,421 1,402 1,361 1,276 1,269 1,240 
			 Omagh 579 567 521 514 483 489 
			 Portadown 632 624 602 590 562 552 
			 Strabane 534 561 569 587 582 596 
			 Grand total 34,297 33,739 32,685 31,908 31,403 31,267 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Waiting list by length of time at December 2006 (the breakdown of the waiting list is a snapshot of applicants for Housing Executive properties on the waiting list on the last day of the month 
			  Housing Executive District  Months 5  6 months and 1 year  1 year and 2 years  2 years or more  Grand total 
			 Antrim 240 246 191 249 926 
			 Armagh 225 205 144 196 770 
			 Ballycastle 70 62 52 117 301 
			 Ballymena 334 354 272 373 1,333 
			 Ballymoney 112 119 80 113 424 
			 Banbridge 204 162 115 13 619 
			 Bangor 396 391 339 641 1,767 
			 Belfast 1 225 229 196 428 1,078 
			 Balfast 2 367 393 307 569 1,636 
			 Balfast 3 186 223 211 418 1,038 
			 Balfast 4 240 208 168 310 926 
			 Balfast 5 240 67 43 203 753 
			 Balfast 6 303 284 240 411 1,238 
			 Balfast 7 475 447 358 678 1,958 
			 Carrickfergus 211 208 156 367 942 
			 Castlereagh 258 268 214 36 101 
			 Coleraine 333 280 237 299 1,149 
			 Cookstown 92 99 71 78 340 
			 Downpatrick 254 295 203 393 1,145 
			 Dungannon 197 170 140 209 716 
			 Fermanagh 238 253 180 341 1,012 
			 Larne 165 127 61 104 457 
			 Limavady 167 134 102 132 535 
			 Lisburn Antrim Street 440 387 302 558 1,687 
			 Lisburn Dairy Farm 187 175 104 123 589 
			 Londonderry 1 164 192 143 243 742 
			 Londonderry 2 198 193 118 150 659 
			 Londonderry 3 191 201 42 160 694 
			 Lurgan 266 246 178 272 962 
			 Magherafelt 116 128 86 128 458 
			 Newry 393 374 366 546 1,679 
			 Newtownabbey 1 177 148 134 259 718 
			 Newtownabbey 2 185 212 143 239 779 
			 Newtownards 330 340 278 473 1,421 
			 Omagh 193 152 89 145 579 
			 Portadown 223 182 111 116 632 
			 Strabane 159 120 98 157 534 
			 Grand total 8,754 8,374 6,472 10,697 34,297

Pupil Exclusions: Violence

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many pupils in each education and library board area were excluded  (a) temporarily and  (b) permanently from school for violent behaviour in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: From the 2002-03 school year, statistics on the reasons for suspension have been gathered annually from each education and library board and relate to the number of individual suspensions, not to the number of pupils suspended.
	Table 1 details the number of suspensions(1 )for physical attacks on staff, in each education and library board, in the 2002-03 to 2004-05 school years:
	
		
			  Table 1: Physical attacks on staff 
			  Education and library board  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Belfast 75 73 84 
			 Western 99 72 49 
			 North Eastern 91 49 51 
			 South Eastern 64 79 57 
			 Southern 36 47 21 
			 NI total 365 320 262 
			 (1) The count of occasions is based on each incidence of suspension, where an incident is defined as a count from the first day a pupil was suspended until the last day suspended. Prior to 2004-05, the count of occasions was based on each record of suspension identified by the education and library boards, and in some instances longer periods of suspension may have had more than one record. This change is due to an improvement in the data collection systems for suspensions in the education and library boards, which has enabled better analysis of the data. As a result, e number of occasions pupils were suspended in 2004-05 has decreased from previous years. However, care should be taken when comparing the number of occasions in 2004-05 with the number of occasions in previous years. 
		
	
	Table 2 details the number of individual suspensions for physical attacks on pupils, in each education and library board, in the 2003-04 to 2004-05 school years:
	
		
			  Table 2: Physical attacks on pupils 
			  Education and library board  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Belfast 284 400 381 
			 Western 392 353 375 
			 North Eastern 434 521 434 
			 South Eastern 347 345 312 
			 Southern 387 363 342 
			 NI total 1,844 1,982 1,844 
		
	
	Reasons for expulsion were first collected in 2003-04. The numbers involved are relatively small and are not disaggregated between education and library boards because of the risk that a school/pupil may be identifiable.
	Table 3 shows the total number of pupils expelled for physical attacks on staff and pupils for the 2003-04 and 2004-05 school years:
	
		
			  Table 3 
			   2003-04  2004-05 
			 Physical attacks on staff 7 7 
			 Physical attacks on pupils 9 5 
		
	
	The suspension and expulsions statistics for 2005-06 school year are currently being analysed by our statistics branch and will be placed on the DE website when this has been completed.

Road Traffic: Coleraine

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many vehicles per day on average use the Lodge Road roundabout in Coleraine in the last period for which figures are available.

David Cairns: The Chief Executive of Roads Service (Dr. Malcolm McKibbin) has written to the hon. Gentleman in response to this question.
	 Letter from Dr. Malcolm McKibbon, 23 February 2007:
	You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a parliamentary Question regarding, how many vehicles on average use the Lodge Road roundabout in Coleraine per day. As this issue falls within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Roads Service, I have been asked to reply.
	By way of background, I should explain that Roads Service collects traffic volume data by means of 270 automatic census points strategically located throughout the Northern Ireland road network. The information is recorded for one week in each quarter during the year and an annual average calculated. The results are published in Roads Service's annual Traffic and Travel Information Report, which presents the traffic volumes in a variety of formats for each site. The figures quoted are based on the latest available report, which is the 2005 census.
	I should, however, explain that in relation to the Lodge Road roundabout, unfortunately there are census points on only three of the five approach roads. While I have detailed the average daily number of vehicles entering the roundabout from these roads in the table, I am unable to provide you with the full information requested.
	
		
			  Lodge Road Roundabout  Average Daily Flow 
			 Ballymoney Road 8,180 
			 Sandleford Bridge 13,920 
			 Ballycastle Road 11,176 
			 Lodge Road n/a 
			 Rugby Avenue n/a 
			 Total 33,276 
			 n/a = not available

Elections: Pilot Schemes

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer of 6 February 2007,  Official Report, column 878W, on elections: pilot schemes, for what reasons local authorities with past histories of holding pilot schemes have been funded to repeat the pilot schemes.

Bridget Prentice: The Government continue to support the funding of pilot schemes from authorities that have previously held e-voting pilots in order to refine the systems and processes that we wish to test and to establish evidence about the longer term impact of innovations.

Electoral Register: Databases

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs which central Government Departments and agencies will have access to the CORE database.

Bridget Prentice: The list of bodies permitted access electoral registration information is set out in existing legislation. Access to information from the CORE information system will be subject to the same legislation.

Electoral Register: Databases

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment she has made of the implications of the recent report of the Committee on Standards in Public Life on the Electoral Commission on her Department's plans to designate the Electoral Commission as the CORE keeper.

Bridget Prentice: The Government are currently considering the recent report of Committee on Standards in Public Life on the Electoral Commission and will respond in due course.

Freedom of Information

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many and what percentage of requests received by central Government in 2006 under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 were refused on the grounds of disproportionate cost; and how many and what percentage she estimates would have been refused had the fee structure changes presently proposed been in force throughout 2006.

Vera Baird: The 2006 annual statistics on implementation of the Freedom of Information Act in central Government have not yet been published. The most recent statistics available are for Q1, Q2 and Q3 2006.
	Central Government received 18,500 resolvable requests during Q1, Q2 and Q3 2006 of which 816 (4.4 per cent.) were refused on the grounds they exceeded the appropriate cost limit.
	Table 3 of the Frontier Economics report published on 16 October 2006 estimates that including reading, consideration and consultation time in calculating the appropriate limit would result in a 4 per cent. volume reduction of requests processed within the appropriate limit across central Government. If the aggregation of non-similar requests is introduced the report estimates an 8 per cent. volume reduction of requests processed within the appropriate limit across central Government.
	These figures are the estimated volume reductions for introducing each option on its own and are not additive.
	Under the Act authorities are not obliged to answer a request if it is estimated to exceed the appropriate limit, but may still choose to do so. The request volume reduction figures in the Frontier Economics report are upper-band figures and assume that government bodies apply the provisions in all cases where possible and do not exercise discretion in application.
	Where authorities refuse on cost grounds they are under a statutory obligation to provide advice and assistance to enable the requestor to refine their request so that it can be processed within the appropriate cost limit.
	The independent review showed that a small minority of requests and requestors account for disproportionate amounts of the cost of answering FOI requests. Our proposals are designed to address this issue by targeting the 5 per cent. of requests that account for 45 per cent. of the time spent dealing with initial requests, as detailed at figure 5 of the Frontier Economics report.

Legal Aid: Applications

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many applications for legal aid were  (a) received and  (b) granted by the Legal Services Commission in each year since 2000.

Vera Baird: The Legal Services Commission (LSC) receives applications for civil representation only. All other applications for legal aid are made to the courts or to service providers.
	The following table shows the number of applications received by the LSC and the number of certificates issued during each year from 2000-01.
	
		
			  Civil representations 
			   Applications received by the LSC  Certificates issued by the LSC( 1) 
			 2000-01 226,104 174,017 
			 2001-02 205,821 161,988 
			 2002-03 211,723 164,193 
			 2003-04 205,122 160,998 
			 2004-05 193,305 155,464 
			 2005-06 194,788 155,164 
			 (1) Certificates issued in any particular year include ones where the application was made in previous years. 
		
	
	Applications for legal help, which includes advice and assistance, are made directly to service providers who under contract with the LSC assess the applications. In successful applications the service provider commences the work and reports it to the LSC as a matter start. Service providers do not report applications for legal help that are unsuccessful. The following table shows the number of matter starts reported by service providers during each year since 2000-01.
	
		
			  Civil legal help matter starts( 1)  Number 
			 2000-01 780,769 
			 2001-02 773,346 
			 2002-03 809,293 
			 2003-04 719,057 
			 2004-05 689,808 
			 2005-06 799,145 
			 (1) These include matters started in asylum and immigration and also matters started under Community Legal Service Direct 
		
	
	Matters started in legal help can in some cases proceed further to receive additional funding under a legal aid certificate upon application to the LSC.
	In criminal matters, applications for representation are made to the court. The following table shows the number of applications received and granted by the courts.
	
		
			2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Crown Court Representation Applications received by the Crown Court 12,827 12,004 10,962 11,904 12,321 13,002 
			  Applications granted by the Crown Court 12,537 11,828 10,759 11,675 12,098 12,777 
			 Magistrates' Courts Representation Applications received by the magistrates' courts 563,002 664,448 704,819 705,635 670,102 700,292 
			  Applications granted by the magistrates courts' 530,622 633,944 672,092 669,853 635,648 664,912 
		
	
	Service providers in criminal matters also provide advice and assistance to suspects held in the police station prior to possible charges being brought. The number of people helped is included in the following table.
	
		
			  Suspects advised at police stations 
			   Number 
			 2000-01 760,495 
			 2001-02 699,108 
			 2002-03 702,089 
			 2003-04 735,275 
			 2004-05 749,362 
			 2005-06 772,414

Legal Representation: Fees and Charges

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the average hourly rate paid for legal representation was in each of the last five years for those who paid their legal costs and were reimbursed after acquittal or the dropping of charges.

Vera Baird: The Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 allows criminal courts the discretion to order that an acquitted defendant, who has paid for their own legal costs, be reimbursed for the costs properly incurred by him in those proceedings out of central funds. The data held centrally cannot identify the average hourly rate paid to either solicitors or counsel from central funds. However, claims are assessed by a determining officer, who will allow work which has been actually and reasonably done. In assessing the appropriate hourly rate the determining officer will have regard to the guideline figures for the summary assessment of costs used in the civil courts
	(see www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/publications/guidance/scco/appendix_2.htm).
	Other payments can also be made from central funds, such as those to defence witnesses, expert witnesses, interpreters or for medical reports, as well as to solicitors and counsel. The total spend from central funds for the past five years are listed in the following table:
	
		
			   
			 2001-02 44,674,514 
			 2002-03 34,542,464 
			 2003-04 64,741,116 
			 2004-05 37,348,462 
			 2005-06 61,888,924

Legal Representation: Fees and Charges

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the average hourly rate paid for legal representation was under legal aid in each of the last five years.

Vera Baird: We are unable to provide a figure for an average hourly rate. The legal aid schemes provide for a variety of ways in which lawyers can be remunerated, including fixed, standard, and graduated fees, individual contract rates and prescribed hourly rates. In successful civil cases, where an order may be made for payment of costs by the opponent, providers may be remunerated at market rates. Barristers' fees are generally not set by reference to hourly rates.
	Where hourly rates are used, different hourly rates are set out in regulations and contracts depending on whether the case is civil or criminal, the tribunal or court where representation is provided and on other factors. Providers can also claim enhancements and uplifts, depending on, for example, matter type, complexity, or seniority of fee earner. As part of our legal aid reform programme we are extending the categories of work that are covered by fixed, standard and graduated fees.

Magistrates Courts: Legal Aid

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many legal aid representation orders were granted in magistrates courts in each of the last 12 months.

Vera Baird: Prior to implementation of the new means test on 2 October 2006, the figures requested were collected only on a quarterly basis. For the three quarters starting January 2006, the number of representation orders granted in the magistrates courts were as follows:
	
		
			  Quarter ending  Representation orders granted( 1) 
			 March 2006 166,119 
			 June 2006 157,495 
			 September 2006 160,267 
			 (1 )Estimates based on the returns submitted by magistrates courts. 
		
	
	The monthly grants of representation orders in the magistrates courts during each of the first four months following the introduction of the new means test, are as follows:
	
		
			  Month  Representation orders granted( 1) 
			 October 2006 32,693 
			 November 2006 42,808 
			 December 2006 33,667 
			 January 2007 46,199 
			 (1 )Estimates based on the returns submitted by magistrates courts.

Parliamentary Questions: Freedom of Information

Michael Wills: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of Freedom of Information requests answered by the Government in 2005-06 likely to be refused under the proposals contained in the draft fees regulations under the Freedom of InformationAct 2000.

Vera Baird: My Department's estimates are based on the results of the independent review conducted by economic consultancy firm Frontier Economics, published on 16 October 2006.
	Table 3 of their report estimates that including reading, consideration and consultation time in calculating the appropriate limit would result in a 4 per cent. volume reduction of requests processed within the appropriate limit across central Government.
	If the aggregation of non-similar requests was introduced it would result in an 8 per cent. volume reduction of requests processed within the appropriate limit across central Government.
	These figures are the estimated volume reductions for introducing each option on its own and are not additive.
	Under the Act authorities are not obliged to answer a request if it is estimated to exceed the appropriate limit, but may still choose to do so. The request volume reduction figures in the Frontier Economics report are upper-band figures and assume that Government bodies apply the provisions in all cases where possible and do not exercise discretion in application.
	Where authorities are refusing on the ground of cost, they are under a statutory obligation to provide advice and assistance to enable the requestor to refine their request so that it can be processed within the appropriate cost limit.
	The independent review showed that a small minority of requests and requestors account for disproportionate amounts of the cost of answering FOI requests. Our proposals are designed to address this issue by targeting the 5 per cent. of requests that account for 45 per cent. of the time spent dealing with initial requests, as detailed at Figure 5 of the Frontier Economics report.

Parliamentary Questions: Freedom of Information

David Burrowes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs for what reason the letter of 19 January 2000 from the Department's then press officer to the Independent newspaper in relation to the appointment of Lord Griffiths to the Bahl inquiry was not disclosed in the response of10 October 2006 to the Freedom of Information request of the hon. Member for Enfield, Southgate; and if she will make a statement.

Vera Baird: It is open to the hon. Member to write to my Department and to ask for an internal review regarding his request.

Public Bodies: Staff

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer of 19 December 2006,  Official Report, columns 1774-76W, on public bodies: staff, if she will break down the data by official civil service grade; and if she will make a statement.

Vera Baird: The answer will refer to information available in the Library and at the following address on the Cabinet Office Statistics website:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management_of_the_civil service/statistics/civil_service_statistics/index.asp
	The following table shows the headcount of on strength staff broken down by public bodies and government grade as at 31 December 2006:
	
		
			  Public body/government grade  Total 
			  AgyDCA HQ  
			 AA 28 
			 AO 265 
			 EO 344 
			 EO/HEO 22 
			 HEO 541 
			 SEO 331 
			 G7 306 
			 G6 127 
			 SCS 82 
			 Non comparable government grade 108 
			 AgyDCA HQ total 2,154 
			   
			  AgyScotland Office  
			 AA 3 
			 AO 8 
			 EO 1 
			 HEO 4 
			 SEO 2 
			 G7 3 
			 Non comparable government grade 1 
			 AgyScotland Office total 22 
			   
			  AgyHMCS  
			 AA 2,052 
			 AO 4,522 
			 EO 2,177 
			 EO/HEO 276 
			 HEO 794 
			 SEO 311 
			 G7 251 
			 G6 81 
			 SCS 75 
			 Non comparable government grade 11,855 
			 AgyHMCS total 22,394 
			   
			  AgyPublic Guardianship Office  
			 AA 20 
			 AO 94 
			 EO 112 
			 EO/HEO 24 
			 HEO 39 
			 SEO 26 
			 G7 7 
			 G6 7 
			 SCS 2 
			 AgyPublic Guardianship Office Total 331 
			   
			  AgyTribunals  
			 AA 254 
			 AO 1,967 
			 EO 492 
			 EO/HEO 11 
			 HEO 182 
			 SEO 57 
			 G7 47 
			 G6 20 
			 SCS 13 
			 Non comparable government grade 13 
			 AgyTribunals total 3,056 
			  AgyWales Office  
			 AA 3 
			 AO 6 
			 EO 17 
			 HEO 13 
			 SEO 7 
			 G7 4 
			 G6 6 
			 SCS 2 
			 AgyWales Office total 58 
			 Grand total 28,015

Housing: Gloucestershire

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make a statement on the regional spatial strategy's proposals for housing in Gloucestershire.

Meg Munn: The draft Regional Spatial Strategy proposes that the Gloucestershire districts should provide for an average of 2,430 homes to be built each year. An Examination in Public of the RSS proposals will be held by an independent panel, beginning on17 April. It would not be proper for me to commenton the draft RSS, as this risks prejudicing the Examination in Public, the independence of the panel and the Secretary of State's statutory role in deciding the content of the final RSS.

Milton Keynes Tariff

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make a statement on the operation of the Milton Keynes tariff.

Yvette Cooper: The Milton Keynes Prospectus, commonly known as the tariff is a planning obligation, under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. It covers anticipated development up to 2016 within the defined Urban Expansion Areas of Milton Keynes, where the Milton Keynes Partnership Committee operates.

Convention for the Protection of National Minorities

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how her Department determines to which  (a) racial,  (b) ethnic,  (c) linguistic,  (d) religious and  (e) other groups the European Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities is applicable.

Phil Woolas: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for North Cornwall (Mr. Rogerson) on 7 February 2007,  Official Report, column 952W.

Convention for the Protection of National Minorities

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government by what criteria her Department determines which  (a) racial,  (b) ethnic,  (c) linguistic,  (d) religious and  (e) other groups in the UK the European Framework Convention on the Protection of National Minorities applies to.

Phil Woolas: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 7 February 2007,  Official Report, column 952W to the hon. Member for North Cornwall (Mr. Rogerson).

Fire Engines

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many Green Goddesses remain operational in the London area.

Angela Smith: No Green Goddesses remain operational in the London area. Successive issues of The Fire and Rescue National Framework have made clear that fire and rescue authorities are expected to play an increasing role in contingency provision, including the supply of all appliances and equipment. The Green Goddess fleet is thus no longer required, and is being disposed of through a mixture of donations to good causes and sales.

Local Authorities: Standards

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations she has received on the implications for competitiveness of local authorities service provision; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: My colleagues and I regularly discuss the importance of local public service provision for the competitiveness of the national economy, and local economies, with representatives of local government and other relevant stakeholders. The 2006 Local Government White Paper, Strong and Prosperous Communities sets out our vision for the role of local authorities and their partners in stimulating the economic competitiveness of their areas.

Non-domestic Rates: Telecommunications

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will consider  (a) the increased administrative costs associated with meeting business rates obligations and  (b) the contribution alternative operators make to BT as regulated by Ofcom as part of her forthcoming consultation on non-domestic rates for unbundled local loops; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: Administrative costs to stakeholders are one of a number of issues the forthcoming consultation on non-domestic rates and unbundled local loops will consider. The contribution made by alternative operators to BT is a matter for Ofcom as the independent regulator of the telecommunications industry.

Non-domestic Rates: Telecommunications

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions her Department has had with  (a) the Department for Trade and Industry,  (b) HM Treasury and  (c) Ofcom on the potential impact upon competition in the UK broadband market of making local loop unbundling operators subject to non-domestic rates liability for unbundled local loops; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: As part of the preparatory work for the consultation on the long term rating solution of unbundled local loops the Department has had several discussions with representatives from DTI, HMT and Ofcom. The Department intends to issue a consultation paper in due course.

Smith Institute: Finance

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much money from the public purse  (a) her Department and  (b) its agencies have given to (i) the Smith Institute and (ii) its subsidiary SI Events Limited in each year since 1997; and for what purpose each payment was made.

Angela Smith: The Department of Communities and Local Government and its agencies have made no payments to the Smith Institute or its subsidiary SI Events Ltd since May 2003. Figures prior to that date could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Unitary Councils

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she plans to take to assess the level of public support for proposals for unitary status in local authority areas.

Phil Woolas: We are now assessing the proposals, having regard to the information available to us, against the criteria specified in the Invitation, including the criterion that any unitary change must be supported by a broad cross section of stakeholders and partners.
	Those proposals which we believe meet the criteria specified in the Invitation will proceed to stakeholder consultation, which we intend to be for a 12-week period from end March to end June 2007. Within this period, it will be open to anyone to make representations to the Secretary of State on the proposals.

Blood

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will take into account the extent to which economies of scale can be generated in the management of disparate specialist services in making her assessment of NHS Blood and Transport's strategic outline case for the consolidation of blood production facilities at three sites.

Caroline Flint: The National Blood Service (NBS) has proposed that processing and testing facilities will be consolidated at three sites. The outline strategy does not propose that all services will relocate to just these three sites. Services that need to be close to either patients or blood donors will remain so. The specialist services provided to hospitals by the NBS will be rationalised to ensure services continue to be delivered to those hospitals that require them.
	While demand for red cells is falling, demand for specialist services continues to grow. Specialist services are currently subsidised by income from the provision of blood and component products. NBS therefore is aiming to make efficiencies and economy of scale considerations that both allow expanding services to develop further, while reducing subsidies.

Care Homes: Disabled

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 31 January 2007,  Official Report, column 403W, on care homes: disabled, what information is available on physically disabled young adults living in care homes designed for  (a) the elderly and  (b) other groups in (i) Southend-on-Sea and (ii) Essex.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not collected centrally. The Department and the Commission for Social Care Inspection collects information on the care population by client group and type of care home, but the data does not provide the level of detail requested by the hon. Member.
	Local authorities are responsible for arranging appropriate residential care provision for their populations. The hon. Member may wish to request the information of Southend and Essex councils.

Care Homes: Finance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the Government's expenditure was on residential care for  (a) the elderly,  (b) children and  (c) disabled people in each of the last 10 years; and what factors underlay decisions on expenditure for each group.

Ivan Lewis: The gross current expenditure for residential provision over the last 10 years, broken down by client group, is shown in the table.
	Local councils are responsible for deciding levels of expenditure on residential care services for their populations according to local need.
	
		
			   million 
			   1996-97  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Total Expenditure 4,340 4,730 5,130 5,600 5,900 6,210 7,190 7,300 7,800 8,150 
			 Children(1,2) 620 640 670 740 780 820 880 980 1,060 1,100 
			 Older People(3) 2,690 2,940 3,180 3,450 3,590 3,730 4,250 4,260 4,490 4,640 
			 Adults 18-64(3) 1,030 1,140 1,280 1,410 1,530 1,670 2,070 2,060 2,250 2,400 
			  Of which:   
			 Physically disabled(3) 180 200 220 240 260 280 350 330 340 360 
			 Learning disabled(3) 660 740 840 920 1,020 1,110 1,380 1,400 1,550 1,660 
			 Mentally ill(3) 190 210 220 240 260 280 340 320 350 380 
			 (1) Data up to 1999-2000 includes children's homes and other residential costs. (2) Data from 2000-01 includes children's homes, secure accommodation (justice and welfare) and other children's looked after services. (3) Data includes nursing care, residential care and supported and other accommodation.  Source: NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre

Departmental Contracts

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which public affairs firms were given contracts by  (a) her Department and  (b) public bodies sponsored by her Department in each of the last five years; and what the purpose was of each contract.

Ivan Lewis: Agencies employed by the Department for public relations (PR) and campaign extension services, whom we know to offer a public affairs service as well are:
	Countrywide Porter Novellicommissioned by the Department in 2002 for PR and campaign extension services for the Get the Right Treatment campaigndesigned to inform the general public of which and how best to access NHS services.
	Munro and Forsterhave been commissioned since 2002 by the Department for PR and campaign extension services for the social work and social care recruitment marketing campaigns.
	Munro and Forsterhave been commissioned since launch in 2000 to manage consumer and national media PR activity for the 5 A DAY programme.
	Munro and Forsterhave been commissioned by the Department since October 2003 for provision of PR services to promote awareness and understanding of the hepatitis C virus to health professionals and the general public.
	Media Mogulscommissioned by the Department from 2001 to 2005to raise awareness of the risks of and how to prevent tuberculosis.
	Fishburn Hedgescommissioned by the Department in 2002 on a continuous basis through the current financial year for PR and campaign extension services for the consumer-facing tobacco control campaign.
	Fishburn Hedgescurrently commissioned by the Department (awarded in 2006) to run stakeholder and media relations to support the Smokefree legislationban on smoking in all public places and workplaces in force by 1 July 2007.
	Fishburn Hedgescommissioned by the Department from January 2004 to July 2004 to develop a communications strategy and material for Choice as part of the London Patient Choice Project.
	Fishburn Hedgescommissioned by the Department from February 2005 to November 2005 to bring internal communications expertise to help research and develop a strategy for communicating system reform to NHS staff and to provide agency support to design and produce communications materials.
	Fishburn Hedgeshave been commissioned since May 2003 by the Department for PR services on the drugs prevention campaign.
	Good Relationscommissioned by the Department from early 2003 to late 2004 to provide media relations for the National Programme for information technology.
	We do not collate information on PR services commissioned by public bodies outside of the Department.

Departmental Expenditure

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much her Department spent on buying, operating and supporting  (a) all commercial software products and  (b) software products produced by Microsoft was in each of the last three years.

Ivan Lewis: The Department's expenditure on commercial software products for the last three financial years is shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  Software purchases 
			   
			   Financial year 
			   2003-04( 1)  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Microsoft products 167,310 77,331 78,707 
			 Other products 8,532 109,118 136,016 
			 Total 175,842 186,449 214,723 
			 (1) The Department changed its software supplier in September 2003 as part of its re-tendering of the outsource contract to run and support the Department's IT infrastructure. Figures for 2003-04 are readily available for only the final quarter of that financial year.  Note: All figures given are direct costs incurred from suppliers. 
		
	
	
		
			  Software licence renewal, including software supplier maintenance and support charges 
			   
			   Financial year 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Microsoft products 0 0 0 
			 Other products 516,930 1,072,730 1,100,594 
		
	
	The Department has outsourced the operation and support of its information technology infrastructure, which includes the commercial software products used to provide services. It is not possible to identify separately the cost of operating this software from the overall cost of the service provided.
	
		
			  Connecting for health 
			   
			   Financial year 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Microsoft products 13,799 20,149 27,309 
			 Other products 134,202 665,215 1,864,788 
			 Total 148,001 685,364 1,892,097 
		
	
	The expenditure in the table covers software purchase, software licence purchase and software maintenance expenditure costs. All figures given are direct costs incurred from suppliers. No internal costs of supporting or operating the software products have been included as these are not readily available.
	Where items have been classified as Microsoft this is where it is clear from the expenditure description that it is a Microsoft product. Where it is not clear what type of software this is, it has been classified as not Microsoft.
	The figures cover software products for internal use and exclude software purchased on behalf of the national health services.

Departmental Policy Advisers

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will place in the Library copies of the letters of appointment of each of her special advisers.

Ivan Lewis: The Department does not issue letters of appointment to special advisers. All special advisers are appointed under terms and conditions set out in the Model Contract for Special Advisers. This is available on Cabinet Office's website at:
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/propriety_and_ethics/publications/doc/model_contract_special_advisers.doc
	A copy is available in the Library.
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister (Mr. Blair) gave in a written ministerial statement on 24 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 87-91WS.

Departmental Training Courses

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what training courses have been offered to  (a) ministers and  (b) civil servants in her Department in the last 12 months.

Ivan Lewis: The National School of Government offers training courses and briefing sessions for Ministers in all Departments on a range of topics. Civil servants are offered training courses from a range of providers both internal and external. The Department offered the following courses at a corporate level in the period February 2006 to January 2007.
	 People management skills
	time management
	managing teams
	handling difficult situations
	promoting a participative team environment
	developing and motivating staff
	coaching awareness
	 Personal development
	develop inspire achieve
	development programme for administrative officers (AO), executive officers (EO) and higher executive officers (HEO). Modules include:
	self awareness and managing relationships
	time management
	coaching skills
	collaborative working
	working and developing in changing environment
	effective communications
	 Communication skills
	communicating with confidence
	influencing skills
	presenting with impact
	conducting face to face briefing
	 Leadership courses
	prime leadership development programme
	scspbl leadership development programme
	senior leadership team development portfolio
	 IT skills courses
	Microsoft office
	quick place
	same time
	Lotus notes
	management of electronic documents (meds)
	searching and navigating the net
	European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL)
	 Open Learning Centre
	self-managed interactive courses available for use @ desk, e.g. on CD, DVD. A wide range of subjects are covered including communication skills, time management, IT, finance, languages
	 Other courses
	corporate induction
	programme and project management
	policy skills
	interactive policy skills development e-learning programme
	working with local government
	performance management awareness sessions
	equality duties and responsibility sessions
	introduction to procurement
	procurement training for authorised signatories
	The courses listed are only those offered and funded at corporate level. For the period until April 2006, some of those courses were organised by the Department's (then) group business team and usually available only to staff within the business group concerned. Training courses funded locally by directorates have not been included, nor have training courses offered and delivered by external providers. Information about these is not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Travel

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on  (a) travel,  (b) accommodation,  (c) subsistence and  (d) other associated travel expenses as a result of travel within the UK by staff in (i) her Department and (ii) its agencies in each year since 2001-02.

Ivan Lewis: The Department's finance systems do not hold information in the form requested. Other associated travel expenses, for example cost of hire cars, are included within the travel cost and are not available separately. Accommodation costs are included within subsistence costs.
	In April 2004, the Department introduced a new accounting system under which information on foreign and United Kingdom travel and subsistence costs are not identified separately and cannot be separated without incurring disproportionate costs.
	The Department's total spend on travel and subsistence by staff within the UK since 2001-02 has been as follows:
	
		
			   
			   Travel  Subsistence  Total 
			 2001-02 7,546,829 1,392,948 8,939,777 
			 2002-03 7,189,396 1,421,354 8,610,750 
			 2003-04 7,720,637 2,019,014 9,739,651 
			 2004-05   13,114,517 
			 2005-06   13.505,109 
		
	
	NHS Purchase and Supply Agency (PASA), which is the Department's agency, does not hold information in the form requested. Overseas travel costs and other associated travel costs are included within the travel cost. Accommodation costs are included within the subsistence costs.
	
		
			  NHS PASA had the following spend on travel and subsistence since 2001-02 
			   
			   Travel  Subsistence 
			 2001-02 972,006 305,934 
			 2002-03 995,259 333,858 
			 2003-04 1,024,548 392,277 
			 2004-05 854,320 314,527

Departments: Christmas Cards

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much her Department spent on sending Christmas cards in 2006.

Ivan Lewis: The amount spent on purchasing Christmas cards for 2006 (inclusive of VAT) was 3,001.92.
	All expenditure incurred in the purchase and postage of official Christmas cards is made in accordance with the Departments guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on principles set out in government accounting. Recipient lists are co-ordinated to avoid duplication.
	Separate figures for postage costs are not available, as some cards would have been included with other correspondence or would have been hand delivered. The vast majority of those that were not included with correspondence were sent using second-class post.
	Staff numbers, and their time, spent on separate tasks are not recorded, but the amount in each case would have been minimal.
	The cost of each card purchased included a donation of 25 pence shared between the charities listed:
	2Care
	Action for Blind People
	Age Concern
	Alzheimer's Society
	Amnesty International
	Anthony Nolan Trust
	ARCArthritis Research Campaign
	Asthma UK
	Barnado's
	Blue Cross
	Bodleian Library
	Bone Marrow Research
	Breakthrough Breast Cancer
	British and International Sailors' Society
	British Eye Research Foundation
	British Lung Foundation
	Campaign to Protect Rural England
	Cancer Research UK
	Carers UK
	Centrepoint
	ChildLine
	Combat Stress
	Crossroads Association
	Cruse Bereavement Care
	Cystic Fibrosis Trust
	Epilepsy Action
	EveryChild
	Help the Aged
	Iris Fund for Prevention of Blindness
	KIDS
	Leonard Cheshire
	Leukaemia Research Fund
	Macmillan Cancer Relief
	Marine Conservation Society
	Meningitis Trust
	Mildmay Mission Hospital
	Mind
	Motability
	Motor Neurone Disease Association
	Multiple Sclerosis Trust
	Muscular Dystrophy Campaign
	National Autistic Society
	National Children's Bureau
	National Eczema Society
	NCH Action for Children
	NSPCC
	Oxfam
	Plan International UK
	Princess Royal Trust for Carers
	Queen Elizabeth's Foundation
	RNIB
	RNID
	RNLI
	Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund
	Royal Mencap Society
	Royal Society of Arts
	Royal Star and Garter Home
	RSPCA
	Scope
	St. John Ambulance
	Talking Newspaper Association
	The Children's Trust
	The Salvation Army
	Tommy's
	Tuberous Sclerosis Association
	UNICEF
	United Response
	WaterAid
	Vitalise

Eyesight: Testing

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the operation of the National Children's Vision Screening Programme announced in the National Services Framework for Children; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what funding has been made available to each primary care trust for children's vision screening programmes;
	(3)  which primary care trusts (PCT) have set up a universal children's vision screening programme; and how many children in each PCT area have been screened.

Ivan Lewis: The National Service Framework (NSF) for children, young people and maternity services recommends an optometrist-led screening programme for children aged four and five, and for the existing vision-tests for seven-year-olds to be discontinued once these programmes are in place. The NSF set out a 10-year plan for improving services for children and young people. It is for primary care trusts to make their own decisions locally about how these improvements are achieved and how they are funded from the overall resources made available to them.

Health Services

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the impact of referral management schemes by primary care trusts on the number of referrals to secondary care; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: No such assessment has been made centrally as this is for local determination.
	Health Reform in England: Update and Commissioning Framework, published in July 2006 states that referral management centres must be clinically led and commissioners and providers need to work together to deliver sustainable solutions. Primary care trusts with their partners have been advised that it will be good practice to review and where necessary develop existing referral management centres by April 2007 to make sure that they create tangible benefits for patients, and uphold the principles set out in Care and resource utilisation: ensuring appropriateness of care, published on 14 December 2006. This has been placed in the Library and is available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidanceArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4141316chk=iJxRrx

Hospital Waste

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what alternative disposal routes for radioactive hospital wastes are being considered;
	(2)  how much radioactive waste from hospitals in England was produced in 2006; and how much such waste, in  (a) cubic metres and  (b) TBq, was sent to the national low level waste repository in that year;
	(3)  what percentage of the low level radioactive waste produced by hospitals in the last period for which figures are available was sent to the national low level waste repository.

Andy Burnham: The Department does not collect data centrally on the use and disposal of radioactive materials by hospitals. The Radioactive Substances Act 1993 requires that hospitals register their use and storage of radioactive materials and hold authorisation for disposal and accumulation of radioactive waste. Under these structures, the registered users maintain detailed local records of use, storage and disposal of radioactive materials. The Environment Agency maintains information on the individual registrations and authorisations, which include the maximum limits on radioactivity permitted. In addition, the Agency hold records related to waste radioactive materials through the pollution inventory.
	The uses of radioactive materials in diagnostic and therapeutic medicine are almost without exception confined to materials of very short half-life. The waste is mostly disposed of by decay, with extreme dilution to watercourses (where strict measures are used to estimate the rate of discharge and ensure that drinking water is never put at risk), as waste for incineration or by dilution in other waste for local authority disposal. As a consequence of these methods of disposal there is no significant burden to the low-level waste repository.
	The Department contributes to discussions with other Government Departments and agencies regarding the future of radioactive waste control and disposal generally. Current discussions are led by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Maternity Services

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the sum provided under Payment by Results for  (a) a home birth,  (b) a birth at a midwife-led unit and  (c) a birth at a consultant-led maternity unit; and, in each case, whether the tariff payment is differentiated according to a prior risk assessment.

Andy Burnham: There is no national tariff for home births. This activity falls outside the scope of payment by results. Under payment by results, no distinction is made between midwife and consultant-led births. The tariff takes account of complications or co-morbidities, however this is not determined by a prior risk assessment.
	The following table sets out the tariffs for births payable under payment by results in 2006-07:
	
		
			   
			  HRG code  HRG name  Elective spell tariff  Non-elective spell tariff 
			 NOG Normal Delivery w cc 1,097 1,428 
			 N07 Normal Delivery w/o cc 735 842 
			 N08 Assisted Delivery w cc 1,755 1,703 
			 N09 Assisted Delivery w/o cc 1,147 1,176 
			 IM10 Caesarean Section w cc 1,879 2,679 
			 NII Caesarean Section w/o cc 1,370 1,938 
			 w cc = with complications and co-morbidities w/o cc = without complications and co-morbidities  Notes: 1. The difference between normal and assisted delivery is the use of specific equipment during the birth. For example, assisted delivery includes forceps delivery, vacuum delivery and breech extraction delivery. 2. The majority of birthing events fall under the non-elective tariff as the time of delivery cannot be planned.

Maternity Services

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) consultant-led and  (b) midwife-led maternity units there were in England in (i) 1997, (ii) 2001 and (iii) the latest period for which figures are available; what forecast she has made of the number and type of maternity units that will be required for (A) 2008 and (B) 2010; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Information is not available in the format requested. The latest information we have available is that there are 181 consultant led units and 101 midwife led units, of which 68 are standalone and 33 are co-located.
	On 6 February 2007 Dr. Sheila Shribman, National Clinical Director for Children, Young People and Maternity Services, published a report on the future of maternity services, Making it Better for Mother and Baby. The report sets out our vision for the future where all women, their babies and partners will be at the heart of high quality, flexible maternity services which are designed around individual specific needs and choices.
	We now working on a maternity framework document, to be published shortly, which will help the national health services bring this vision to fruition.

MRSA

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what investment the Government are making in new technologies to combat MRSA in NHS hospitals; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what representations she has received on new technologies to combat MRSA in NHS hospitals; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Tackling health care associated infections including methicillin-resistant  Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) continues to be a priority for the Government and substantial funding has been invested in a variety of research. This includes funding of 950,000 for two linked projects to evaluate a rapid screening test for MRSA.
	We are also looking at the benefits of microfibre and steam cleaning and a report will be ready shortly. The Department's estates and facilities division has funded a number of projects that may be of interest.
	A report on UV disinfection of airborne bacterial in a UK hospitala pilot study by Leeds university is available at:
	www.195.92.246.148/nhsestates/knowledge/knowledge_content/home/home.asp
	The effect of humidity on the survival of MRSA on hard surfaces by the Health and Safety Laboratory;
	An evidence based model for establishing the performance of hospital ventilation systems by the university of Bradford;
	The use of small negative air ions to disinfect MRSA and other airborne pathogens in UK hospitals by university of Leeds; and
	Reduction of Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs) by design by Anne Noble Architects.
	Representations on new technologies to combat health care associated infections including MRSA in national health service hospitals are usually channelled through the rapid review panel (RRP). The RRP provides a prompt assessment to the Department of new and novel equipment, materials and other products or protocols that may be of value to the national health service in improving hospital infection control and reducing hospital acquired infections. The panel's recommendations are published on the Health Protection Agency's website at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/rapid_review/new_reports.htm

Myasthenia Gravis

Lynda Waltho: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the average hospital waiting times for patients diagnosed with myasthenia gravis were in the latest period for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps her Department is taking to increase the number of  (a) consultants and  (b) nurses qualified to diagnose and treat myasthenia gravis;
	(3)  what steps her Department is taking to raise awareness about myasthenia gravis among  (a) the medical profession,  (b) the general public,  (c) employers and  (d) benefit offices.

Ivan Lewis: The Department has made available, via its Prodigy and NHS Direct websites, detailed information on myasthenia gravis suitable for both health professionals and the general public. In addition, the recently published musculoskeletal services framework will help to raise awareness of all musculoskeletal conditions, including myasthenia gravis, among health professionals.
	Data on hospital waiting times for specific conditions is not collected.
	The national service framework (NSF) for long-term conditions is supporting local sustained improvements in service quality for people with long-term conditions, including myasthenia gravis. The NSF addresses a range of key issues including the need for equitable access to a range of services; the ability to see a specialist and get the right investigations and diagnosis as quickly as possible.
	It is for primary care trusts, in consultation with other stakeholders, to determine the appropriate level of services, and the number of health professionals required, to meet the needs of their local populations living with myasthenia gravis.

NHS: EU Rules

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she expects her policy of introducing competition into the supply of healthcare will make NHS services subject to EU single market and competition rules; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: Although health services are covered by the European Union (EU) Treaty, it is well accepted that EU activity must respect the responsibilities of the member states for organising and managing their health systems. Last year's EU ministerial statement on values and common principles underlined the importance of the social objectives that health systems have to deliver.
	National health service bodies generally fall outside the scope of EU competition rules. As set out in Health reform in England: update and next steps, published in July 2006, the introduction of competition will not be appropriate in all services. The Future regulation of health and adult social care in England, published in November 2006, described the Department's position on choice and competition, the need for proportionate and transparent system management and the benefits for patients and the public. As set out in this document, we will provide further guidance in spring 2007.

NHS: Finance

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the NHS budget was spent on  (a) medicines,  (b) operations,  (c) staff wages,  (d) administrative costs and  (e) pension provision in (i) 1997-98 and (ii) 2005-06.

Andy Burnham: The table shows the Department's revenue expenditure in 1997-98 and 2005-06 and the proportion of the national health service budget spent on drugs, staff wages, administration costs, pension provision and operations.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			  Expenditure category  1997-98  2005-06 
			 All salaries and wages (including agency) 42 39 
			 of which admin and clerical salary and wage costs 5 5 
			 Pension 1 4 
			 National insurance 3 3 
			 Drugs (hospital prescriptions) 3 4 
			 Family health service drugs 12 10 
			 Operations  20 
			  Notes:  1. Accounts figures in the table for 2005-06 are provisional.  2. Changes to accounting practices and a number of technical adjustments means that the data in the two time periods are not strictly comparable.  3. Source of data is the audited account summarisation schedules and financial returns of health authorities/primary care trusts and summarised accounts of foundation trusts (in 2005-06).  4. Pay costs are for hospital and community health service (HCHS) only. The figures do not include the pay element of expenditure on family health services. Pay costs as a proportion of HCHS expenditure is around 65 per cent. in both 1997-98 and 2005-06.  5. The increase in pension costs are driven by a technical change to pension arrangements, which was funded by a transfer from HM Treasury.  6. The operations proportion is defined as elective and non-elective in-patient cases and is based on figures taken from the NHS reference cost index. There is no reliable data source for 1997-98.  7. Expenditure categories overlap, for example cost of operations is mainly wage costs.

NHS: Telephone Services

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will take steps to prevent the NHS from using 0870 premium rate telephone numbers for patient hotlines.

Andy Burnham: We banned national health service dentists, NHS opticians, general practitioner practices and GP out-of-hours providers from using 087 premium rate numbers from April 2005.
	Decisions on which telephone numbers and systems to use are taken locally.
	My noble Friend, the former Minister of State (Lord Warner) wrote to primary care trusts in December 2006 to draw their attention to the Central Office of Information guidance on telephone numberingCost to the Citizen. That guidance states that primary care trusts should ensure that NHS dentists, NHS opticians and GP practices, including out-of-hours providers in their area, should consider carefully the best option for their patients.

NHS: Waiting Lists

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the waiting times for episodes of NHS care measured by her Department; whether each is subject to a target set by her Department; and what the target is in each relevant case.

Andy Burnham: The Department collects the following waiting times information:
	
		
			  Area  Target  Target date 
			  Referral to treatment   
			 Waiting time from GP referral to treatment 18 weeks December 2008 
			 Waiting time for inpatient admission from decision to admit. 26 weeks December 2005 
			 Waiting time from GP referral to first outpatient appointment 13 weeks December 2005 
			
			  Waiting time for diagnostic tests   
			 Milestones towards referral to treatment target: 26 weeks for MRI/CT scans March 2006 
			  13 weeks for all tests by March 2007 March 2007 
			
			  Cancer waiting times Maximum one month wait from urgent GP referral to treatment guaranteed for children's and testicular cancers and acute leukaemia 2001 
			  Maximum one month wait from diagnosis to treatment for breast cancer 2001 
			  Maximum two month wait from urgent GP referral to treatment for breast cancer 2002 
			  Maximum one month wait from diagnosis to treatment for all cancers 2005 
			  Maximum two month wait from urgent GP referral to treatment for all cancers 2005 
			
			  Accident and Emergencytotal time spent in AE from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge   
			 Number of patients spending less than four hours in AE departments and the number of patients spending more than four hours in AE departments. 98 per cent. of patients spending a maximum of four hours in AE from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge December 2004. The target became an operational standard during 2005. 
			
			  Ambulances   
			  75 per cent. within eight minutes 2001 
			 response times to category A calls 95 per cent. within 19 minutes  
			 response times to category B calls 95 per cent. within 19 minutes  
			
			  CHD   
			 Waiting time from GP referral to attendance at rapid access chest pain clinics 2 weeks 2003 
			
			  Sexual health   
			 Patients attending GUM clinics who are offered an appointment within 48 hours of contacting a service 48 hours 2008 
			
			  Primary care access   
			  GP appointment within 48 hours December 2004 
			  Appointment with a primary health care professional within 24 hours December 2004

Parkinson's Disease: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps the Government are taking to increase the quality of treatment available for those diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in Hertfordshire; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  how many Parkinson's disease specialist nurses there were in Hertfordshire in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  how much was allocated to patients diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in Hertfordshire in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement;
	(4)  what assessment she has made of the funding required for Parkinson's disease nurse specialists in  (a) Hertfordshire and  (b) East of England strategic health authority; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not held centrally. However, National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence have published, on 26 June 2006, detailed clinical guidelines on the diagnosis, management and treatment of adults with Parkinson's disease in primary and secondary care. This includes the issue of access to specialist nurses.
	The national service framework for long-term neurological conditions, which specifically included Parkinson's Disease, will ensure faster diagnosis, more rapid treatment and a comprehensive package of care for those living with long-term conditions.

Picture Archiving and Communication System

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the  (a) original planned and  (b) latest timetable is for delivery of the Picture Archiving and Communication System; what progress has been made with each local service provider system; and what the (i) original and (ii) latest timetable is for each local service provider system.

Caroline Flint: Plans originally developed in autumn 2004 assumed that all deployments of picture archiving and communications systems (PACS) delivered through the national programme for information technology would be completed by the end of March 2007. These plans were subsequently revised to reflect delay due to the impact of a Judicial Review by an unsuccessful bidder which failed in its challenge to the procurement process in the courts, and to the need to re-negotiate the PACS contract in the programme's north west and west midlands cluster area. Despite this delay the majority of installations, including 100 per cent. of those planned in London and the south of England, will have been completed by this date, in line with plans for 100 per cent. completion across the national health service in England by the end of 2007.
	As at the end of January 2007, 69 NHS trusts had implemented PACS over a period of 21 months as a result of the national programme, and are currently estimated to be treating in the region of 160,000 patients each week using the technology. This compares to 43 implementations over 14 years in the period prior to the inception of the programme. Including trusts where PACS had been installed prior to the programme, more than 65 per cent. of acute trusts in England are now using PACS, making estimated savings of up to a third of a million pounds each per annum on the cost of x-ray films and processing.
	Local service providers are currently installing PACS at an average rate of four trusts a month. Information on progress in individual local service provider areas is in the table.
	
		
			  Region  Local service provider  Percentage of planned installations complete  Trusts remaining 
			 London BT 67 7 
			 South Fujitsu 89 4 
			 East and East Midlands Accenture 53 8 
			 North West, West Midlands CSC 21 33 
			 North East Accenture 43 8 
			 (1) Contract re-negotiated March 2006 with first live site in July 2006. 
		
	
	PACS systems form a component additional to those originally described in the 2002 Delivering 21(st) Century IT Support to the NHS procurement strategy for the national programme. The record of successful, and on budget, deployment to date is a reflection of the robust nature of the programme's approach to procurement and management of its suppliers.

Primary Health Care

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has made to strategic health authorities to ensure they consult upon and deliver a work force strategy for primary care; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The national health service in England operating framework for 2007-08 sets out the framework for delivery of the health and service priorities. The Department will apply key assurance tests to strategic health authority plans to ensure they give assurances to deliver national commitments and reconcile across the three elements of finance, work force and activity.

Sponsored Events

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the nature of the sponsored events provided to her Department in 2006 by  (a) Club 18-30 Big Reunion and  (b) Wrigleys Oral Healthcare referred to on page 156 of her Department's annual report.

Ivan Lewis: Partnerships with youth brands have provided a valuable channel of communication to young people from the outset of the cross-Government FRANK drugs information campaign which is jointly funded by the Department, the Home Office and the Department for Education and Skills.
	In the campaign year 2005-06, Club 18-30 and The Big Reunion, both brands of Uptrips, owned by Thomas Cook Travel, provided a wide range of communications and distribution services to the FRANK campaign free of charge to the Department.
	
		
			  Summer in-resort activities 
			  Event  
			 FRANK competition on Club 18-30 website with production of an e-flyer Audience of 100,000 approximately 
			 FRANK drugs advice section on Club 18-30 website Ongoing 
			 FRANK logo and contact details printed on ticket wallets Distributed to 40,000 people approximately 
			 Prize of a weekend workshop for two people at the Subbass DJ academy  
			 'In room' welcome packs which included FRANK business cards, Drugs abroad leaflet, FRANK tissue packs etc. Distributed to approximately 65,000 people including the cost of shipping, warehousing and distribution of FRANK collateral in resorts abroad 
			 FRANK artwork supplied for drugs advice section on resort notice boards 100 hotels 
			 Advice on drugs conveyed by club 18-30 representatives in resorts at welcome meetings 18,000 people summer season reached during summer season 
		
	
	
		
			  Autumn BIG Reunion weekend event in Scarborough 
			  Event  
			 FRANK literature and collateral inserted into check in bags for attendees and VIPs 9,000 attendees 
			 Airtime for FRANK advertisements on the Big Reunion TV channel throughout event 2 advertisements 
			 FRANK logo on screens in the main arenas throughout event 5 arenas 
			 FRANK banners placed in the different rooms around the event 8 banners 
			 Logo and link to www.talktofrank.com website from homepage of Big Reunion website Permanent 
			 Production of e-newsletters with editorial around FRANK/drugs to attendees pre and post weekend 2 e-newsletters 
		
	
	Chief dental officers and their advisers from the European Union, G8 countries and the Commonwealth attended a week-long programme of dental events in England to mark the UK's presidency of the European Union. The programme, organised by the Department of Health, ran from 5 to 9 September 2005, and spanned a number of events and locations. Some of the costs associated with this programme were met by sponsorship from Wrigley's Oral Healthcare.

Written Questions: Administrative Delays

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will answer parliamentary questions  (a) 101823,  (b) 101822,  (c) 101823,  (d) 101820 and  (e) 101821, on mental health services, tabled on 16 November 2006 by the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 19 February 2007
	A response was provided on 22 February 2007,  Official Report, columns 943-44W.

Alcoholic Drinks: Death

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in how many deaths in  (a) each London borough and  (b) each Government office region alcohol was cited as the primary cause in each year since 2004.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 27 February 2007:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question asking in how many deaths, in (a) each London borough and (b) each Government Office Region, alcohol was cited as the primary cause in each year since 2004. I am replying in her absence.
	The tables below provide the number of deaths with an alcohol-related underlying cause in each (a) London borough and (b) Government Office Region, in 2004 and 2005 (the latest year available).
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of deaths with an alcohol-related underlying cause of death( 1,)  London boroughs, 2004 and 2005( 2) 
			   Deaths (persons) 
			   2004  2005 
			  Inner London   
			 Camden 26 25 
			 City of London 0 1 
			 Hackney 26 20 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 34 28 
			 Haringey 25 33 
			 Islington 13 15 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 13 13 
			 Lambeth 32 33 
			 Lewisham 32 27 
			 Newham 36 22 
			 Southwark 27 28 
			 Tower Hamlets 20 20 
			 Wandsworth 21 19 
			 Westminster 26 34 
			
			  Outer London   
			 Barking and Dagenham 14 15 
			 Barnet 17 21 
			 Bexley 17 21 
			 Brent 33 34 
			 Bromley 28 40 
			 Croydon 22 35 
			 Ealing 39 35 
			 Enfield 27 18 
			 Greenwich 25 24 
			 Harrow 22 14 
			 Havering 17 14 
			 Hillingdon 42 23 
			 Hounslow 28 22 
			 Kingston upon Thames 13 16 
			 Merton 13 10 
			 Redbridge 21 24 
			 Richmond upon Thames 21 20 
			 Sutton 12 21 
			 Waltham Forest 16 19 
			 (1) Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). The specific causes of death categorised as alcohol-related, and their corresponding ICD-10 codes, are shown in the box below. (2) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of deaths with an alcohol-related underlying cause of death( 1) , Government office regions, 2004 and 2005( 2) 
			   Deaths (persons) 
			   2004  2005 
			 North East 426 402 
			 North West 1,166 1,173 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 615 643 
			 East Midlands 482 506 
			 West Midlands 743 776 
			 East of England 485 492 
			 London 758 744 
			 South East 832 874 
			 South West 529 581 
			 Wales 416 407 
			 (1) Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). The specific causes of death categorised as alcohol-related, and their corresponding ICD-10 codes, are shown in the box below. (2) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year. 
		
	
	
		
			  Box 1: Alcohol-related causes of deathInternational Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) 
			  Cause of death  ICD-10 code(s) 
			 Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol F10 
			 Degeneration of nervous system due to alcohol G31.2 
			 Alcoholic polyneuropathy G62.1 
			 Alcoholic cardiomyopathy I42.6 
			 Alcoholic gastritis K29.2 
			 Alcoholic liver disease K70 
			 Chronic hepatitis, not elsewhere classified K73 
			 Fibrosis and cirrhosis of liver (excluding biliary cirrhosis) K74 (excl. K74.3-K74.5) 
			 Alcohol induced chronic pancreatitis K86.0 
			 Accidental poisoning by and exposure to alcohol X45 
			 Intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to alcohol X65 
			 Poisoning by and exposure to alcohol, undetermined intent Y15

Bank Services: Fees and Charges

David Evennett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received on the level of bank charges.

Edward Balls: Treasury Ministers and officials have received representations from a number of parties on a wide-range of banking issues, including the level of bank charges. As was the case with previous administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such representations.

Child Trust Fund

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to encourage parents to increase payments to child trust fund accounts.

Edward Balls: The Child Trust Fund is a universal savings account which provides practical financial education and kick-starts a saving habit. Under the scheme, up to 1,200 each year can be contributed into each account. There is no tax to pay on any interest or gains made on the money in the account.
	HMRC has a range of promotional activities to raise awareness and promote parental engagement with the scheme, including encouraging contributions.
	Activities to date have included:
	a specific burst of advertising before Christmas, which encouraged contributions on radio, online and in selected parenting magazines;
	Child Trust Fund Week, which encouraged parents to top up their child's account and make the most of the Child Trust Fund;
	providing information on making contributions on the Child Trust Fund website and in the information booklet sent to all parents and;
	working with the voluntary and community sector to provide extra help to less financially capable parents with all Child Trust Fund messages.
	We will continue promoting Child Trust Fund contributions in the next financial year.

Child Trust Fund

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the contribution of the child trust fund initiative to meeting the Government's goal to reduce inequality between, and increase opportunity for, young people.

Edward Balls: The Government believe that assets and savings provide opportunity and independence throughout life. The child trust fund will start a saving habit at a young age and allow all young people to have access to a financial asset as they start their adult lives. It will be an important tool for bringing financial education to life in schools, enabling young people to be fully engaged in learning and equipping them to make better financial choices throughout their lives.
	Under the scheme, all children born on or after1 September 2002 receive a voucher for 250 to invest in a child trust fund account, with children from lower income families receiving 500. The scheme went live in April 2005. Latest figures show that around three quarters of parents are actively opening accounts for their children. A detailed statistical and distributional analysis will be published later this year.

Child Trust Fund

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what percentage of children whose parents did not open child trust fund accounts in 2005 HM Revenue and Customs has opened accounts.

Edward Balls: HM Revenue and Customs will open a revenue allocated account for all eligible children whose parents do not use their voucher to open a child trust fund account before the expiry date.
	All vouchers issued in 2005 expired by 31 December 2006 and all relevant providers have been notified of the need to open an account. Almost all parents have been written to alerting them to where their child's account is held. For those vouchers that expired in December 2006 parents will be notified by early March 2007.
	The most recent set of child trust fund statistics, published on 4 January 2007, show that HM Revenue and Customs have opened approximately 0.5 million accounts where vouchers have expired. These statistics can be viewed on the HM Revenue and Customs' website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/child_trust_funds/child-trust-funds.htm

Child Trust Fund: West Midlands

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what average payment has been made by parents into existing child trust fund accounts in  (a) Staffordshire,  (b) the west midlands and (C) Tamworth constituency.

Edward Balls: Information on parental contributions to Child Trust Fund accounts will be available later this year.

Death: Young People

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the 10 most common causes of death of  (a) boys and  (b) girls between the ages of 11 and 16 years was in the last period for which figures are available.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 27 February 2007:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the 10 most common causes of death of  (a) boys and  (b) girls between the ages of 11 and 16 years was in the last period for which figures are available. I am replying in her absence. (122783)
	The most recent year for which figures are available is 2005. The table below shows the number of deaths for the 10 leading causes of death in boys and girls aged 11-16 years of age in England and Wales in 2005.
	There are many ways in which 'causes' of death are defined for different purposes. The cause of death groups used here are based on a list developed by the World Health Organization, modified for use in England and Wales. An article published in 2005(l) examined four variations of this cause list. It proposed mutually exclusive cause groups and recommended that for ranking causes of death the most useful groupings split cancers by site and accidents by mechanism (e.g. drowning/poisoning). That recommendation has been followed for the data reported here.
	(1) Griffiths C, Rooney C and Brock A (2005) Leading causes of death in England and Wales-how should we group causes? Health Statistics Quarterly 28, p 6-17.
	
		
			  Leading causes of death( 1)  of boys and girls aged 11-16, England and Wales, 2005( 2) 
			  Rank  Cause of death  Number of deaths 
			  Boys   
			 1 Land Transport Accidents (ICD-10 V01-V89) 75 
			 2 = Congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities (ICD-10 Q00-Q99) 21 
			 2 = Suicide and injury/poisoning of undetermined intent (ICD-10 X60-X84, Y10-Y34 exc. Y339) 21 
			 4 Malignant neoplasms of lymphoid, haematopoletic and related tissue (ICD-10 C81-C96) 20 
			 5 Cerebral palsy and other paralytic syndromes (ICD-10 G80-G83) 19 
			 6 Epilepsy and status epilepticus (ICD-10 G40, G41) 17 
			 7 Cerebrovascular diseases (ICD-10 160-169) 14 
			 8 Malignant neoplasm of brain (ICD-10 C71) 13 
			 9 = Accidental drowning and submersion (ICD-10 W65-W74) 12 
			 9= Homicide and probable homicide (ICD-10 X85-Y09, Y339) 12 
			  Total deaths from top 10 causes 224 
			  Total deaths among boys aged 11-16 383 
			
			  Girls   
			 1 Land Transport Accidents (ICD-10 V01-V89) 39 
			 2 Congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities (ICD-10 Q00-Q99) 21 
			 3 Malignant neoplasms of lymphoid, haematopoletic and related tissue (ICD-10 C81-C96) 18 
			 4 Cerebral palsy and other paralytic syndromes (ICD-10 G80-G83) 16 
			 5 Epilepsy and status epilepticus (ICD-10 G40, G41) 13 
			 6= Malignant neoplas m of brain (ICD-10 C71) 12 
			 6 = Malignant neoplasms of bone and articular cartilage (ICD-10 C40-C41) 12 
			 8 Suicide and injury/poisoning of undetermined intent (ICD-10 X60-X84, Y10-Y34 exc. Y339) 10 
			 9 Chronic lower respiratory diseases (ICD-10 J40-J47) 8 
			 10 Homicide and probable homicide (ICD-10 X85-Y09, Y339) 7 
			  Total deaths from top 10 causes 156 
			  Total deaths among girls aged 11-16 262 
			 (1) Selected using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code groups based on a list published in 2005: Griffiths C, Rooney C and Brock A (2005) Leading causes of death in England and Waleshow should we group causes? Health Statistics Quarterly 28, p 6-17. (2) Figures are for deaths occurring in the calendar year.

Defence: Expenditure

Mark Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance he has issued to the Ministry of Defence on preparation and submissions for the comprehensive spending review; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The Treasury has worked closely with all Government Departments in preparation for the comprehensive spending review (CSR) providing guidance throughout the process. Full details of the Ministry of Defence's settlement will be set out in the CSR White Paper.

Departmental Staff

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 25 January 2007,  Official Report, column 1986W, on departmental staff, how many permanently employed staff there were in  (a) his Department and  (b) its executive agencies at each civil service grade in each year; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The information requested can be found in the Civil Service Statistics which is published by the Cabinet Office and available from:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/.

Departments: Freedom of Information

Michael Wills: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of monitoring the time spent processing requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 for the purposes of the proposed fees regulations.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given to him by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs on 22 February,  Official Report, 1926W.

Fraud

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the level of carousel fraud in each year since 2003-04.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 6 February 2007,  Official Report, column 914W, to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath (Mr. Godsiff).

Grants: Renewable Energy

John Thurso: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the impact of capital grant incentives on the UK micro-renewables market.

John Healey: The Department of Trade and Industry has commissioned various studies which include analysis of the impact of capital grants on the micro-generation market, for example the Energy Saving Trust's Potential for micro-generation: study and analysis (published in 2005).
	Budget 2006 announced an additional 50 million to provide grants for micro-generation, funding the Low Carbon Buildings Programme:
	phase 2.

HM Revenue and Customs: Manpower

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many whole-time equivalent VAT compliance and enforcement staff there were in each year between 2003 and 2006.

Dawn Primarolo: In HMRC the number of whole-time equivalent VAT compliance and enforcement staff were 8,755 in 2003-04, 9,035 in 2004-05 and 8,924 in 2005-06.

HM Revenue and Customs: Pay

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many whole-time equivalent staff HM Revenue and Customs employed on minimum wage compliance in  (a) 2004,  (b) 2005 and  (c) 2006.

Dawn Primarolo: The numbers of whole-time equivalent staff employed on minimum wage compliance for the years requested are as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2004-05 121.63 
			 2005-06 119.40 
			 2006-07 (1)120.59 
			 (1 )forecast

Housing: Stafford

David Kidney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the housing market for first-time buyers in Stafford constituency.

John Healey: The Government continually monitors the housing market and its possible effects on the economy as part of the Budget and pre-Budget report forecasting process. They recognise concerns over housing affordability, particularly amongst first-time buyers, and is acting to alleviate these pressures on various fronts including by tackling supply constraints; doubling the stamp duty threshold; and helping people into home ownership through supporting shared equity schemes.

Manufacturing Industries: Wales

Hywel Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many manufacturing jobs were lost in Wales in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many people were employed in the manufacturing sector in Wales in each year since 1997.

John Healey: The information requested falls with the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been ask to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 27 February 2007:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions about manufacturing employment in Wales. I am replying in her absence. (123635, 123636)
	Statistics on employment in manufacturing in Wales are only available in terms of employee jobs, excluding the self-employed, and on a non seasonally adjusted basis. While statistics of jobs lost are not available explicitly, statistics from surveys enable comparisons to be made of net changes, in numbers of jobs, from year to year.
	The following table shows the number of employee jobs in manufacturing in Wales, for September of each year from 1997 to 2006, the latest period available, and the net changes from year to year.
	
		
			  Employee jobs and changes in jobs in manufacturing in Wales 
			  Thousands, not seasonally adjusted 
			   Number of jobs  Net change on year 
			 September 1997 214  
			 September 1998 218 4 
			 September 1999 206 -12 
			 September 2000 203 -2 
			 September 2001 193 -10 
			 September 2002 186 -7 
			 September 2003 182 -4 
			 September 2004 182 0 
			 September 2005 177 -5 
			 September 2006 170 -7 
		
	
	This series is published on a regular basis by the ONS in table 5 of the Labour Market Statistics First Release for Wales. See
	http://www.statistics. gov.uk/pdfdir/lmswales0207.pdf
	These results are mainly based on sample surveys and are subject to a margin of uncertainty.

Members: Correspondence

Michael Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to answer the letter from the hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead of 10 July 2006 on VAT on charities.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 19 February 2007
	have replied to the hon. Member.

Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library copies of the Treasury working papers relating to the fiscal impact of people choosing to take alternatively secured pensions rather than traditional annuities which were used during the production of the Pensions White Paper.

Edward Balls: The answer to the hon. Member's recent Parliamentary Question on estimating the fiscal impact of people taking ASP was answered on the 20 February as follows:
	Alternatively secured pensions were introduced to meet the specific needs of certain religious groups that have a principled religious objection to the pooling of mortality risk through annuities. As explained in the partial regulatory impact assessment published at pre-Budget report (Tax Relief for Pensions2006 pre-Budget report Reforms) the fiscal impact of introducing ASPs are part of the overall costs of pension simplification. Estimates of the overall Exchequer costs of pension simplification remain at 25 million for 2006-07, rising to 250 million in 2010-11.
	Widespread use of ASP would have a potential additional cost to the Exchequer due to deferral of tax charges where pensions are not used to provide an income in retirement.
	It would be inappropriate to place internal Treasury working papers in the Library of the House of Commons. Doing so would be prejudicial to the frank and candid discussions that are an essential part of policy development.

Revenue and Customs: Reorganisation

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what criteria will be used in decision-making on the restructuring of HM Revenue and Customs offices.

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC's regional review programme seeks to achieve the best possible match between customer and staff need, delivery of business, and buildings, taking account of its efficiency and customer service commitments.

Sandstorm Report

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when his Department expects to make a definitive reply to Professor Prem Sikka of University of Essex's request made on 13 March 2006 under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 for publication of the Sandstorm Report relating to the closure of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International; and what the reason is for the delay in responding.

Edward Balls: Professor Sikka's request has entailed the careful examination of several complex issues. I understand that officials expect to be in a position to do so very shortly.

Subsidiarity

Michael Gove: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what  (a) meetings he has held with (i) Government colleagues and (ii) his European counterparts and officials and  (b) publications he has written on the return of regional responsibilities from the EU to the UK.

Edward Balls: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide range of European and Government colleagues and with other member states as part of the process of policy development and delivery.
	'A Modem Regional Policy for the UK' set out the UK's principles for the future of European regional policy(1). The Government have also published their National Strategic Reference Framework which sets out the UK's approach to the management of European Structural and Cohesion Funds to support regional development for 2007-13(2).
	1 Department of Trade and Industry, HM Treasury, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, 'A Modern Regional Policy for the UK, 2003'
	2 National Strategic Reference Framework, October 2006.

Teenage Pregnancy: Greater London

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many teenage pregnancies were reported in each London borough in each of the last five years.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 27 February 2007:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many teenage pregnancies were reported in each London borough in each of the last five years. I am replying in her absence.
	Teenage pregnancy figures are estimates of the number of conceptions that resulted in a live birth, stillbirth or termination to girls aged under 18.
	The numbers of teenage conceptions in each London borough for the years 2001-05 (the most recent year for which figures are available) are shown in the attached table. Figures for 2005 are provisional.
	
		
			  Number of teenage conceptions by area of usual residence, London boroughs, 2001-05( 1) 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004  2005p 
			  London  6,210  6,512  6,467  6,235  5,809 
			 Camden LB 125 135 124 127 124 
			 Hackney LB and City of London 308 303 279 285 226 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham LB 135 137 119 106 91 
			 Haringey LB 281 313 291 283 246 
			 Islington LB 175 173 165 156 156 
			 Kensington and Chelsea LB 80 81 56 54 68 
			 Lambeth LB 376 406 415 357 319 
			 Lewisham LB 273 328 333 317 316 
			 Newham LB 334 333 295 256 241 
			 Southwark LB 335 335 356 343 275 
			 Tower Hamlets LB 219 187 174 173 169 
			 Wandsworth LB 173 184 169 174 155 
			 Westminster City of LB 87 95 100 74 62 
			 Barking and Dagenham LB 215 236 220 211 191 
			 Barnet LB 143 192 177 203 167 
			 Bexley LB 181 172 180 172 164 
			 Brent LB 236 253 276 266 223 
			 Bromley LB 162 179 205 166 203 
			 Croydon LB 336 367 340 364 365 
			 Baling LB 198 185 203 193 186 
			 Enfield LB 249 292 304 272 246 
			 Greenwich LB 272 248 280 261 259 
			 Harrow LB 99 115 111 141 127 
			 Havering LB 134 150 151 152 150 
			 Hillingdon LB 189 210 225 223 218 
			 Hounslow LB 165 158 181 203 166 
			 Kingston upon Thames LB 67 68 81 67 70 
			 Merton LB 126 118 119 121 104 
			 Redbridge LB 160 155 155 155 164 
			 Richmond upon Thames LB 49 63 58 61 57 
			 Sutton LB 112 110 102 108 109 
			 Waltham Forest LB 216 231 223 191 192 
			 (1) Figures for 2005 are provisional  Note: To preserve confidentiality, counts for the City of London have been combined with those for Hackney LB.